Codename: Victory
by MoonFireFic
Summary: Ianto searched for information about what he is his entire life. Canary Wharf gave him some answers and a lot more questions. Runner Up - COTA#6 AU featuring a race of winged beings called Aderyn. AN: 1-10 unbeta'd-Updated version w/edits on livejournal
1. Chapter 1

It had been 2 weeks or two thousand years since he had been in his original time stream. As he glanced out over Cardiff from his perch and back down again to see the leader of Torchwood 3 cross the Plass to the hub, he thought back over the advice he had been given by the elders before he left.

_Keep hidden, stay safe  
The past is not to dwell on _

_The small details hold the key  
Live and love alongside them_

_Cherish your heritage as it defines you  
All things end in time._

_Guard them and persevere  
Even in the darkest hour, there is hope_

_Truth is where you least expect to find it  
Protect and seek knowledge, for it will save your life_

_Your heart will never fail you  
Time will bring you home._

Bloody lot of sense that made. Might as well have said, try not to get caught, help out if you can and, oh yes, if time screws with you again, not to worry, your heart will be fine and time will bring you back to where you need to be. Enigmatic? Certainly. Helpful? I think not.

From the first moment the flash of golden light had burned through his mind during the battle of Canary Wharf, Ianto had known that everything was about to change. He had joined Torchwood in an attempt to find out more about who he was and what had happened to the others of his kind. He had found a home there amongst the artifacts and archives, cherishing each new scrap of information on his race like a long lost treasure. He had quickly made himself indispensible to the archive team, and became well liked for perpetrating the daily collective coffeegasm for the secure archive department. For the first time since his mother had died, he felt like he was somewhere where he belonged.

That all changed when Yvonne Hartman found the void sphere.

When he was brought in the room to catalogue it for the archive, Ianto was so nauseous; he nearly lost his lunch on Hartman's shoes. After the ghost shifts started, his sense of unease had grown until he was certain that it was only a matter of time until whatever was coming through brought destruction in its wake.

He wasn't wrong. Not long after The Doctor arrived, all hell broke loose.

He and five others had managed to escape to the archive mainframe room and were in the process of locking down the secure archives when they heard the tell-tale sound of metal feet on the interior stairs a few floors above. Closing the mainframe ballast doors would only hold them back for so long, and with two pulse pistols, a particle rifle, and Torchwood issue revolvers as ammo, they weren't going to last long in a standoff. After shutting down the mainframe and placing an EMP pulse on a remote detonator near the ballast door, he and the others ran down the hallway to the secure archives. At the secure station he managed to dial out to T3 in hope that he could at least download or transmat some of the information that neither the Daleks, nor the Cyberman should ever get their hands on. After six rings he finally managed to get an answer.

"Harkness," said a distinctly American voice. "I don't know who you are and how you got this number, but this better be good and you better be good looking."

Ianto was stunned for a moment, but the banging on the mainframe door down the hall jolted him back to the task at hand. "Jones, T1 Secure Archives Sir," he said. "I take it you are aware that we are under attack by Cyberman and Daleks?"

There was silence for a moment before he received a reply.

"Daleks? Are you certain? Cyberman and Daleks at the same time? That's impossible."

Ianto pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and replied, "Unless you know of another race of self important pepper pots, we have them in spades. Look, I don't care if you believe me, but I have a team of five people here that need a transmat code and mainframe access to T3 as we have about ten minutes to get the entirety of the secure archives moved and download if you don't want the metal bastards to get their hands on it."

"Hold on," Harkness replied. Ianto sighed. They didn't have time for this. A glance down the hall showed that they were now shooting at the seam trying to weaken it so that they could pry it open.

"I'm back. Jones was it? Meet Toshiko Sato our computer tech, she should be able to guide you through what you need."

"Let's get the download running first," said Toshiko, "Enter stream code XT1-8957AT-XT3 and it should start, let me know once the data steam starts pulsing a 6 or an 8 to ensure that it's working."

Ianto quickly relayed the information and Perkins gave him a thumbs up once the download started. "We're good to go Miss Sato. How 'bout that transmat, we have about three pallets of items that we need to send your way now, the rest will have to be locked in with us as the EMP pulse will take out the transmat after we fire it."

"Understood," replied Toshiko, "and please call me Tosh. Will the EMP disable the download as well?"

"Not likely, we are sending it via the secure archive internal computer. It will be inside of the archive door frame once we set off the pulse so it should be fine," stated Ianto.

Tosh quickly gave them the codes for the transmat and the team started loading and sending the items over to T3. Once they were done, Ianto took another glance down the hallway. He could see metal fingers pushing the door apart, they were out of time.

"Thanks T1, all sent and accounted for," came Harkness's voice. "Tosh says that the download should take another six minutes. Is your team safe?"

Ianto took a quick glance at the five other archivists and they back to the door behind him. Making a decision, he grabbed three other EMP pulse emitters off the shelf and nodding to Perkins, stepped back into the hallway, closing and dead locking the secure archive doors.

"They are now Sir," he said with more calm then he felt. He heard his name being called over his com and he told them that he was alright and had another way out before wishing his team well and turning off the connection to his coworkers behind him.

"Jones?" Harkness's voice sounded anxious.

"They have enough water and air for about 36 hours Sir. They are on sublevel 6 cross-section 9 of the secure archives," responded Ianto. Before Harkness could comment he added, "I'll buy you a drink when this is over if you can try not to make a comment on the numbers and make sure that they make it out alive, deal?"

"Consider it done Jones," smirked Harkness. "Next time you are in Cardiff I plan on collecting that drink, and convincing you to join my team. Oh, the name is Jack by the way."

Ianto started tossing the remaining EMP pulses towards the door as he replied.

"Item SI-8956-1205-TDH is on the pallet for the last load, it's the one you have requested several times that Hartman keeps blocking you on. Please consider it an advance for your help today. Tosh, Jack, it's been an honor. I'm activating the pulse emitters now. Ianto Jones out."

Ianto had taken a deep breath and held it as the doors finally gave way with a loud crash. He waited for half a second until they were in range and then crouched below an upturned desk before he hit the button activating all of the EMP's at once. The room seemed to flex on itself, followed by a domino-like cascade of crashing metal and then silence. Peaking around the corner of the desk, Ianto saw that the doors were literally plugged with fallen Cybermen. It had worked.

He only had a moment to smile and laugh out loud at this small victory before he was engulfed in the blaze of golden light and the pain began.

Now that Ianto was back in Cardiff, he wanted to meet the faces behind the voices that had helped him at Canary Wharf so long ago. He had checked and Jack had made good on his promise to ensure the well being of his team. After the stories he had heard about the leader of Torchwood 3, Ianto was more than a little surprised to see that he had followed through. As he watched the Plass once more, the hardly inconspicuous land rover with TORCHWOOD on the side left the hub with said leader at the wheel. Not for the first time, he wondered if promising to buy him a drink was such a good idea. Harkness's response of offering him a job at T3 made him even more curious about the man. Knowing that there was only one way to settle his mind, he crouched and launched himself skyward after him, determined to see the man himself and decide if Torchwood was to be part of his life once more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: ** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

The wind off the bay was unseasonably warm as it stroked its way over his back and through his feathers to the tips of his wings. Wings. Ianto shook his head as he banked left to follow the Torchwood SUV towards Bute Park. Even with all that had happened, the simple fact that he was now gliding over Cardiff tracking an SUV from the air with a pair of wings no less, still seemed more than a little surreal. As the buildings thinned out, he descended slightly, mindful of staying high enough that the streetlights didn't betray his presence. Seeing that the SUV had stopped at the south side of the park near the river, he hovered for a moment, pulling the rift monitor that he still had from T1 from his pocket. Taking a glance at the readings he scanned for any insight into what Harkness was looking for. The appearance of a couple of bull weevils from the nearby trees left little doubt as to what had drawn him there.

Quickly scanning the area in search of a safe place to land, both away from the weevils and out of Harkness's sightline, he saw a small clearing about 50 yards away and shot himself towards it, hoping that the rush of wind in his wake wouldn't draw any attention. Landing softly, Ianto stood for a moment and clenched his fists at his sides, gathering his energy back inside himself and willing his wings into hiding. He felt the pulse carry through his body and vibrate through the trees around him as he recentered himself into his human form. Taking a deep breath he glanced down at himself and realized that he was dressed for drinking at the pub. Not exactly how he planned on meeting his perspective new boss. He hesitated a moment, debating on waiting to do this sometime later and more properly attired, maybe in a suit? The sound of someone howling in pain stilled his mind and his need to protect took over. Grabbing a large branch off the ground, he started forward through the trees.

* * *

'Just what I need another late night dance with a horny bull weevil,' thought Jack as he was thrown for the second time against a tree. At least it was only one of them. The second had run off not long after his arrival. Struggling to keep the sharp teeth from his face he put his boot against the tree and used the momentum to push the weevil back.

"Look ugly, I know you ran your buddy off so that we could have some quality alone time, but I have to tell you, even a open-minded guy like me draws the line at claws and sewer breath," Jack panted as he threw the weevil to the ground. "I can't have you scaring the natives, and I don't feel the need to pull anymore splinters out of my ass so stay down dammit."

As Jack reached for the can of sedation spray in his pocket, the weevil lunged at him, knocking him to the ground and this time getting close enough to bite his neck causing Jack to howl in pain. The weight of the thing made it hard to move. His hands scrambled blindly, trying desperately to find the spray, not liking the potential alternative of waking up from blood loss only to find himself being munched on or worse by a weevil. He felt the edge of the can with his fingers and almost had it when he heard a loud *thud* against the weevil's back. The weevil roared off of him and jumped up to face the new adversary.

Freed, Jack grabbed the bottle and stood up only to find a decidedly hot young man in struggling with the weevil as it attempted to throw him against the same tree he had Jack against earlier.

Seeing an opening Jack rushed the beast, knocking him to the ground and punched him in the face for good measure before spraying, sedating, and concealing it's face from view. He watched the man toss a tree branch to his side and lean against the tree, a small trickle of blood at his temple. Wearing a form fitting dark jacket, studded belt, and deliciously tight jeans, this guy would normally be exactly Jack's type of distraction, but he is here on business, and needed to keep things professional.

As he looked up from where he was watching the now bagged weevil, Jack finally gets a good look at his face. Transfixed, Jack suddenly found himself lost in the gaze of a pair of the bluest eyes he has ever seen. There is a quiet nervousness about him, almost as if he isn't sure if he should speak or run, but there was also a spark of something Jack hasn't seen in a long time, an almost ancient presence that hovered in those eyes for a moment, but then disappeared so quickly that Jack was almost sure he imagined it.

"Thanks," said the man in with a Welsh lilt and Jack cursed himself once again that he had to meet him while weevil dancing. Business Jack, he cautioned himself, you need to know who this guy is before anything else and the sedative isn't going to last long.

"No, thank you." He says standing up and putting on the charm. "And you are?"

The man stepped away from the tree and looked Jack up and down before meeting his eyes once more as if coming to a decision.

"Jones, Ianto Jones," he states, staring at him like Jack should know the name. Jack paused for a moment, there are a lot of Joneses in Wales, but he doesn't remember this one. He's sure he hasn't seen him before, and yet….he'll have to have Tosh run a search when he gets back and see why his name sounds so familiar. Until then he needs to keep him talking, see if he is a threat and then get the weevil the hell out of there before he starts asking questions.

"Nice to meet you, Jones, Ianto Jones." Jack shakes hands with him. "Captain Jack Harkness."  
He notices that Jones deflates a little when Jack doesn't recognize his name and decides to let it go for now as Jones is looking back at the weevil again and Jack is starting to realize that this is not some stray jogger out for a late night stroll.

"Lucky escape," Jones says head gesturing towards the weevil. Jack stares back at him and tries to steer the conversation away from their wrestling partner on the ground.

"I had it under control," he replies. Jones is curious, this is not good.

"You think so?" Jones retorts with a smirk looking up from the weevil and towards Jack. "It looked pretty vicious. You're, um..." He reaches towards him as if to check his collar and Jack backs off quickly knowing he needs to end this conversation fast. "You were bleeding," Jones finishes a look of skepticism on his face and a questioning that Jack does not want to answer. His hand twitches towards the retcon bottle in his pocket, wondering if once again he is going to have to 'deal' with someone who has seen too much.

"Had worse from shaving," he quickly replies, hoping to deflect any further questions. Jones holds his gaze for a beat before he looks down for a moment and turns his attention back to the weevil on the ground.

"Looked like a Weevil to me," he says hands on hips. And just like that Jack decides that he needs to end this conversation now, and find out just who Ianto Jones is. He stares at him for a moment and realizes that he has no backup and needs to grab the weevil and get out of there before he asks anything else.

"I've no idea what you're talking about," Jack replies face closed and eyes blazing. Jones looks up and stares at him again, his eyes once again looking too old for his young face. Jack stares back at him and decides it's time to go. "I'll take him from here," he says bending down to grab the weevil and throws it over his shoulders.

"Thanks for the assistance," he adds in dismissal hoping that Jones will take the hint. For a moment, he thinks that he is going to stop him, but then he just stands aside saying "Anytime," and lets him pass. Jack saunters down the hill back to the SUV, trying desperately not to look back or run. He's almost made it when he hears a decidedly smug voice call out to him.

"By the way." Jack pauses briefly to hear what he is going to say. "Love the coat." Jack smiles to himself and shakes his head, knowing that as soon as he makes it back to the base Toshiko has a new research project. Ianto Jones.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: ** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

Ianto cursed under his breath making his way back to the clearing. "Way to go Jones," he continues muttering to himself. "You finally meet the man, gorgeous by the way, you're dressed like a rent boy on the pull, and he doesn't even remember you or give you the time of day."

Probably just as well, he decides. If he doesn't remember him, then it makes the decision to stay away from Torchwood that much easier. Unless of course, they decide to research his file and bring him in. Ianto stops cold. He's only been back a few weeks, and he doesn't need them looking into his past or taking a closer look at Rhia or her kids. They've had enough to deal with lately and he didn't want to make it any worse.

When he had finally made it home from his trip to the past, he headed straight to his sister's only to be met with a resounding slap from Rhiannon, followed by tears and a bone crushing hug. It turned out that they had both been affected at the same time and she was as changed as he was. Since it had only been two weeks for her, she was struggling to keep herself and her abilities under control. Ianto knew that he had to get her out of Newport and give her time to deal with what had happened. Making apologies to her husband, Johnny, (how she had hid this from him, he had no idea), and leaving under the premise of a vacation, he had taken her and her children home to Llandeilo,and the cottage they grew up in near the River Tywi. After a few days rest and the reassurance that she could once again reach out to her brother when she needed him, Rhia seemed better and began enjoying a small reprieve from estate life while she sorted things out. The kids seemed to be taking things in stride. David had decided that they were all secret superheroes now, and little Mica with her large brown eyes smiled more as if learning who they really were was confirmation of something she already knew.

Thinking back over the stories his mother had told them as children, he wondered not for the first time, what she would say if she saw them now.

Since their mother had passed away, Ianto and Rhia had been on their own with only her stories to guide them. Pulling them close, wrapping them up snug and warm in her azure wings, she spun stories of the guardians who protected their planet Talfryn, and of how a brave group of Aderyn had travelled across the galaxy to Sol 3/Earth in an attempt to save their race from extinction. She spoke of the great time war and how Talfryn had become a staging ground to protect Arcadia from the Daleks. Time Lords and Aderyn fought side by side, seeking to protect both planets, only to see Arcadia and later Talfryn fall to ash. The survivors had first settled not far from present day Llandeilo, and then scattered across the globe seeking to rebuild their race hidden amongst humankind. They used their gifts and talents to help others, protecting their new home and making it their own. Only the markings on their backs gave any indication of who they really were. Ianto and Rhiannon had never doubted that they were special growing up, even if they had to hide it from others. Rhia once asked her if she would have wings like Momma, and mother had laughed and told her when you're older. An offhand comment she had once made that when Aderyn reached adulthood, that the 'promise of the markings they were born with are fulfilled in a blaze of light' was the only clue either of them had of what was to come. Later when Rhiannon was 14 and Ianto 12, she had died in a car crash, leaving them with a very human and very overwhelmed step-father, who had no idea what to do with two children who were much more than human. He had closed up the cottage and moved the little family to Newport, never looking back.

Now that they were back home, Ianto finally realized what the cottage really was. It was his mother's legacy to them; a safe house, a sanctuary, where he and his family could be themselves without worrying about the outside world.

When the golden light at Canary Wharf engulfed him, Ianto was certain that it must be the start of the change his mother had mentioned. His entire body seemed to pulse with energy and his mind felt like it was being torn apart and put back together with a blender. He barely had time to release a mental scream of anguish before his world went black. Waking up with a blinding headache only to find that he was in Iron Age Wales did little to ease the confusion. Discovering that the elders of his people had pulled him through time to train him, and he could not go back until they deemed him ready, made it even more frustrating.

He had known Rhia must freaking out. She had always been better at sending feelings rather than words over their bond, but when he first regained consciousness and tried to contact her, all he got was static and a sense of panic. For the first time in years, he felt lost and alone without being able to reach her with his mind. Elder Tarkin had assured him that it would come back as soon as they were in the same time stream, but that did little to ease the ongoing sense of wrongness at not being able to reach her.

Ianto soon understood that he would be so busy learning to understand who and what he was now, that there would be little time to dwell on what he had lost. He spent the next several years training and strengthening his abilities until they became second nature to him. The battlefields of Wales became his proving ground, and before he knew it the horrors of Canary Warf became a distant second to fighting alongside Caractacus against an onslaught of Roman centurions. 100 years passed in a blink and he had reached warrior status among his people. He was given his true Aderyn name, and finally allowed to begin the journey home. To ensure that he didn't tire or get lost in the time stream, they warned him to only jump 300 years at a time at first and rest in between until he felt centered enough to jump again. Learning to harness this ability was easier said than done, and despite a few mishaps, (landing onstage in the middle of the premiere of A Midsummer Night's Dream for one), he had managed to make it back virtually unscathed.

But what to do with all he had learned? The Elders had told him they expected him to take up the mantle of guardian for their adopted home and that the few of them that remained in his time would willingly take up arms alongside him. But how? It wasn't like he could just walk up to the UN and announce their presence. He'd be locked up and experimented on by Torchwood, Unit, or worse yet, the military. Even worse they would come after his family. The children were too young, but after seeing the horrors of what Torchwood 1 had unleashed at Canary Warf, he was sure that they would be seen as assets and turned into weapons or worse when their powers fully manifested. No. He would not, could not, let that happen. Better to stay behind the scenes, helping from the shadows and being ready for when a true threat came. Part of him had thought that Torchwood 3 might be the answer, but after tonight he wasn't so sure.

Just as he had made it to the clearing, the PDA in his pocket beeped. He took it out to find that tracer he had put on his T1 employee file had been activated. Harkness hadn't wasted any time then. He wondered if he remembered him now. Slipping it back into his jacket, he ran back over their conversation. It hadn't been a total loss. He had his interest now, maybe if he showed up tomorrow morning with some of his trademark coffee and a little more professional attire it might work out to his advantage. He smiled to himself at the thought of catching the enigmatic man off guard for a second time.

Raising his arms above his head he changed back to the Aderyn he was. Lowering his arms and wrapping his wings around himself, he cleared his mind of captains and coffee and concentrated on the cottage in Llandeilo and getting back to Rhia and the kids. A golden light pulsed out from the center of his being and surrounded him and in a flash he was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: ** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

The next morning Ianto was dressed in what Lisa had once dubbed the 'sexy banker suit,' (deep charcoal grey pinstriped with pale blue shirt), by 5:30AM. He hadn't slept much the night before, his mind too awake going over what he planned to say, and do, running scenarios on how his second meeting with Harkness would go. Only Rhia throwing a pillow at his head at 2AM and telling him to 'shut his daft mind off before she did it for him' made him settle down. Now that it was morning and the reality of what he planned to do took hold, a mild sort of panic had started to set in. "What the hell am I doing?" he wondered aloud, not for the first time. Pacing in front of the coffee maker, waiting for it to finish percolating, he didn't notice his very tired and very agitated sister watching him from the doorway in her robe and pajamas.

"If you are about done walking a hole in the floor, could you please, please, quit thinking and just get on with it?" she said in tired exasperation. "I haven't slept as all I have had running through my head all night are pictures of some bloke with 'eyes as blue as the ocean' and a 'really nice coat.' Look Ifan, I know you are worried about this, but you are going to be just fine. Be your charming self, make them your amazing coffee, and show them you can organize and archive just about anything. Don't freak and wing out, and you will be brilliant." Rhia moved past him to get the travel thermos from the cupboard, handing it to him with an affectionately tired smile as he finally stopped pacing.

"I love you, I really do, but you have about five minutes to get your bloody coffee and get the hell on the road to Cardiff before I freeze that damn machine into a block of ice and shove you out the door."

Ianto chuckled to himself before walking over and hugging Rhiannon close to him.

"Thanks Rhia." He whispered before pulling back to look into her tired eyes. "You know how important this is. If I don't work with them, they might look too close at us and…"

Rhiannon's eyes narrowed and she closed them with tightly with an exasperated sigh before opening them and smacking her brother soundly across the cheek.

"The hell?" Shouted Ianto in shock holding his face.

Rhiannon just smirked at him and raised the family eyebrow.

"Good. Now that you've had your shock for the morning, the rest should be easy. Pull yourself together and get your arse out the door. The M-4 holds traffic for no man."

Ianto smiled back at her, filled the thermos with the now ready coffee and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, he grabbed his keys and walked towards the door. As he reached the threshold, he gave one last glance back at his sister.

"Go," she said smiling at him and making a shooing motion with her hands. He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and giving her a final nod he walked through the door.

* * *

By the time Ianto made it to the dock next to the tourist office that housed the door to Torchwood 3, it was 8AM. He glanced up to look at the CCTV cameras housed on either side of the door and watched as they moved to better focus on him. Keeping his face passive he poured out a cup of coffee from the thermos and waited patiently within their sight line. He willed himself calm, knowing that it would only be a matter of time before someone came out.

Sure enough, less than five minutes after he arrived, Captain Jack Harkness himself strode out the door.

"Morning!" He greeted pleasantly. Harkness only stared at him. Okay time to break the ice. He held the mug of coffee out to him hoping he would take it."Coffee?"

He watched him take the cup and sniff it as if trying to determine if he had poisoned it. Ianto tried not to be nervous when Harkness finally took a sip with a look of reservation on his face. "Wow!" Is his response after taking his first sip and then downing the rest in one go before handing it back to him. "Did you make this?"

Ianto smirks at him with small bit of pride. "Of course Sir. I felt I should make good on my earlier promise to buy you a drink after all." Harkness smiles for a moment at the remark before his face turns serious and in an instant he is all business once more.

"Ah yes, Canary Wharf." he studies Ianto for a moment. "For some reason I thought you would be older," he continues while looking him up and down appraisingly.

Ianto tries but fails to stop the slight blush from coloring his cheeks at this remark. Harkness seems to notice immediately and gives him a leering grin.

"So is weevil hunting the new past time for former archivists? Or were you just out looking for a few late night thrills?"

Ianto opens his mouth in surprise and shuts it again quickly. This is not how he pictured this conversation going. 'Pull yourself together,' he scolds himself, and raising his chin slightly he attempts to take the conversation back in hand.

"Look, I came here to see if you were going to make good on the job offer you made the day of the battle," he says keeping his voice even. "The secure archives were sent to you in good faith, and while I appreciate you looking after my people and getting them out, there is a lot of tech within what we sent you that is highly volatile and needs to be properly handled and stored."

The business face is back again as Harkness stares him down and then moves past him. "Sorry. No vacancies." He starts walking away. "I severed all links with one," he adds over his shoulder as he continues down the dock.

Ianto follows him. There is no way he is taking no for an answer. He can't risk his family, and he can't risk some amateur getting their hands on the archives and blowing up the planet out of sheer stupidity. He gets in front of Harkness and puts out his hand on his chest to stop him. Harkness halts and removes the hand while Ianto keeps talking.

"I know that three and one never really got along, most of one barely knew what went on here or even in the other departments. Yvonne kept a tight leash on information and we were constantly watched to ensure that we never told anyone about what we were doing." He is being stared at again, this time as if he is merely being tolerated and it is starting to piss him off.

"I am sure by now you have had a good look at my file, and know that I am more than qualified to handle the archives here, especially since most of the acquisitions from one I sent to you personally. What is the problem?"

"I looked at your file alright," replies Harkness coldly. "Ianto Jones, born August 19th 1983. Able student but not exceptional, one minor conviction for shoplifting in your teens. Number of temporary jobs, mainly a drifter, until two years ago when you joined the Torchwood Institute in London. Junior Researcher. Achieved Senior Researcher status in two months due to an uncanny ability to identify non-terran artifacts. Girlfriend, Lisa Hallett, lost in the battle of Canary Wharf. You disappeared without a trace during the battle until showing up last night in the middle of Bute Park to wrestle a way-ward weevil." Ianto blinks. He had known about Lisa, but even now hearing it still stings.

"So where were you?" he asks, and Ianto swallows, trying to figure out what to say. He feels a slight tingle at the back of his head. Of course. Rhia has been feeling out for his emotions and knows he is starting to panic. She sends him a wave of reassurance and he sighs inwardly for a moment. He can do this. Thinking quickly, he decides that hiding in half truths is the only way to salvage the situation.

"Temporary amnesia," he says so convincingly he almost believes it. "Once I remembered, I checked in on my team, thank you for getting them out by the way, and then ended up staying with my family for the last couple of weeks until I had a chance to come to terms with what had happened."

Harnkess looks at him as if waiting for more. When Ianto says nothing further, he gives him another dismissal.

"I don't want the equipment getting in the wrong hands. I know what you did during the battle at one, and while it was admirable, I can't take the risk that my people here could potentially be working with someone unstable due to PTSD. Sorry."

Ianto almost laughs in response. If he only knew what he had been through since Canary Wharf. After falling through time, it seems a lifetime ago, but he can't tell him that, he has a job to win here and if he has to fight dirty to get it so be it.

"And you're the right hands are you?" he says to Harkness with a snort. "From the little I do know of three, you have shoddy archives and little to no containment other then holding cells. I suppose trusting you with item SI-8956-1205-TDH, otherwise known as the hand of The Doctor, was not the best of choices then."

Harkness's eyes have gone dark with anger. He is about to say something when Ianto holds up his hand to stop him. "Fine. If you don't want my help or the rest of the files on The Doctor that I downloaded to an external drive to keep them out of enemy hands, then I will be on my way. But know this Jack, I came here to help. There are dangerous items in the artifacts I sent you, please make sure you at least try not to blow up the planet as you smash your way through them. I am just sorry that I misjudged you and didn't realize that you were too bull headed to see reason."

Turning on his heel, Ianto starts to walk down the pier and away from the office.

"Enough!" comes a shout from behind him.

Both of them turn towards the tourist office and see a petite Asian woman with her arms crossed over her chest standing just outside of the door glaring at the both of them.

"Tosh?" says Harkness incredulously. "What the hell are you doing out here?"

"Apparently saving our collective asses from your ego Captain," she retorts. He just stares as she walks past him to shake hands with Ianto.

"Toshiko Sato," she says with a smile. "Nice to finally meet you. We've had a rough couple of weeks attempting to sort through what you sent us. Do you mind taking a look? There's a problem with the Therinian dermal processor, for one. For some reason it started causing the med bay table to grow fur, and Owen is threatening that if he has to shave it one more time, he is going to blow torch the entire table and burn it off."

"I'd be delighted," he replies. "If that is alright with the Captain of course?" He adds raising an eyebrow in his direction as if daring him to say no.

Harkness stares back at him, and then looks back at Tosh, before letting out a deep sigh and throwing up his hands.

"Fine Tosh," he says in defeat. "You win. Just have Owen check him over before he touches anything." He turns to Ianto and narrows his eyes. "I wasn't kidding about that PTSD Jones. If I get one inkling that you are not stable, I am throwing you out on your pinstriped ass got it?"

"Understood Sir," he nods in acceptance. Jack stares at him a moment more before he turns and stalks back into the hub. "Jack's not all that bad really," says Toshiko staring after him fondly. "He can be a little overprotective, but he means well."

Ianto smiles at her. He likes her already. Holding his arm out he gestures towards the door in front of them. "Miss Sato, shall we?"

"Call me Tosh," she says with a shy smile before taking his arm and leading him towards the hub.

'I'm in!' he sends to Rhia quickly, before descending into the hub. She sends him the mental equivalent of a sleepy hug back, followed by a yawn before retreating completely.

Ianto smiles to himself. Not as easy as he had hoped, but he'll manage. Now to see how much of a mess they have made of his archives and figure out how to use Torchwood as a way to keep hidden, while still following the destiny he was born to.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.  
**A/N:** First time for this fandom, but have written for others. Comments are appreciated. This story started as a result of looking through a travel guide to Wales and certain picture of Cardiff that will be posted later on to give the title a lot more meaning.

Part 3

Ianto closed the file cabinet and leaned back against it with a sigh. He'd been here a few months now and finally felt like he was getting used to the organized chaos that was T3. The Victorian steam-punk vibe of the Hub was a lifetime away from the anesthetic whiteness of Torchwood Tower. His team was a lot smaller as well. Owen was a bit of a prat, but a good medic, Suzie was scarily brilliant, always scanning the rift debris for something she could use with that gauntlet she seemed to be obsessed with. Toshiko could do things with computers that shouldn't even be possible, and was quickly becoming a good friend. And then there was Jack.

Ianto sighed again. The nickname T1 had given him of "Captain Hard-ness" wasn't too far off. He seemed to flirt with everything that moved, and told stories so outrageous it was hard to tell when he was making things up. He was a decent leader, had vast a knowledge of species and tech, and judging by the tactical way he approached most situations, he had more than earned his title of captain. He seemed to value his team, and for the most part listen to them, something Yvonne would never have done. But even when he spent time with them at the pub or joking over take-away, part of him always seemed to be somewhere else. If you looked closely at the mega-watt smile, it rarely seemed to reach his eyes. It was almost like he was searching for something and had given up hope. He seemed to constantly keep everyone at arms length, only letting them close enough to see the surface and nothing more.

This morning when Ianto had brought him his daily dose of motor oil grade caffeine, (why the man could not drink decent coffee he had yet to fathom), he had found him with his hand resting on a tin box on his desk and a distant look in his eyes. He had politely cleared his throat to get his attention, and when jack had finally looked up his eyes were so lost and alone that Ianto had actually felt how lonely Jack really was. It had only lasted a moment before he flashed his trademark grin, made an inappropriate comment about ties being a business man's version of handcuffs, and then went back to work. As Ianto descended the stairs back to the archives, he glanced up to see Jack staring back at him as if daring him to comment on what he had seen. Ianto had merely smiled a half smile of understanding, which Jack slowly mirrored back to him before turning back to the pile of paperwork on his desk once more.

Later on the team had gone out to check on a hoix sighting near the university, and when they returned Jack was in a foul mood. Owen had been too busy chatting up co-eds to pay attention to the task at hand, and the hoix had managed to maul a professor before they could contain it. The ensuing yelling match resulted in a chair smashing across the hub and nearly brought the two men to blows before Tosh and Suzie hauled Owen out the door to check on the latest rift alert. Ianto was left alone with a very frustrated and very pissed off Captain pacing the hub floor. Not sure what to do, he had bent over to pick up the broken chair and offered him a coffee with a side of scotch. Jack had thrown back his head and laughed for a moment before smacking him on the arse and walking past him out of the hub. "Don't wait up," he had called over his shoulder as he left. Ianto had just stared after him stunned. God he was so confusing. Sad and lonely one minute, raging and flirting the next. He was certain that he would never understand the man.

The beeping of the alarm he had set on his desk clock earlier shook him out of reverie, and glancing down he saw it was eight PM. The others weren't due back until morning, and Jack hadn't planned on coming back either. It was the perfect time to check out the hidden room on sublevel six and try the side tunnel entrance he had found last week. Ianto smiled to himself as he made his way down to the lower levels of the hub. Pulling an old skeleton key out of his pocket, he entered a small room that had originally been a bunk room for train operators back when the Hub was actually part of the Cardiff subway line. There was a double bed and a set of bunks against one wall, a wardrobe, a few lamps, and a desk on which he had set up a laptop linked to the hub mainframe. Removing his jacket and tie, he went to the wardrobe and opened it to find the clothes he had put there earlier. Changing quickly, he saved the coat for last, and after thinking on Rhia's warning to 'Not be a total idiot', he buckled on a thin kevlar vest he had found in the armory under the jumper just in case. Putting on the coat, he paused in front of the wardrobe mirror for a moment.

"I look like a twat," he said out loud sitting down on the edge of the bed putting his head in his hands. "How did I ever think this was a good idea?"

* * *

He had told Rhia about his idea of creating a disguise of sorts so that he could go out at night and keep an eye on the city last week. She was back in Newport now, but they had made a point of meeting up on Thursday nights at his new flat to spend some time together just being themselves or working on her abilities. She had thought he was crazy at first, until she realized that this need to protect and help was something that had been honed while he was gone and was now part of her brother. Putting her feelings aside, she had helped him figure out what to wear.

"Tights are right out," was the first thing Ianto had told her when she showed him the sketch that David had done of the 'Winged Avenger'. Rhia had joked that he had the legs for it before winking at him, causing the two of them to collapse into a fit of laughter. After looking through his closet, she had pulled out an old black leather trench coat from his short lived goth phase, and his battered doc martens. "Got any black pants?" she asked him with a cheeky grin.

After cutting slats into the back of the coat, and the fingers off of an old set of driving gloves, she added a pair of black cargo pants, a black jumper, and a pair of mirrored sunglasses to the mix. Ianto took a deep breath and turned to stand in front of the full length mirror in the corner of his bedroom to assess their work.

"I look like a bloody Neo wanna-be," he snarked, shaking his head. "This is never going to work."

Rhia crossed her arms and swept a critical eye over him. "Something's missing. The black will work at night, as you don't want to be seen, but you need a splash of color somewhere." She looked around the room again as if looking for inspiration. "Wait! We are so stupid. Bring your wings out Ifan, I have an idea."

Ianto stared at her a moment and checked that the blinds were firmly closed before standing at the foot of his bed and willing his wings back into being. Rhia smiled at him and clapped her hands together. "Oh! I love it when you do that!" She stepped forward and ran a hand down the silky feathers. "I don't know about you, but whenever I have them I feel whole somehow," she added staring off in the distance for a moment. Ianto gave her a lopsided grin and pulled her close. "Mam would be so proud of you," he told her. "Yours are the same color as hers. You look so much like her with them too little bird." Rhiannon sniffed for a moment as a tear fell down her cheek. Then she laughed softly and straightened up holding him at arms length.

"Look at yourself now." She gestured to the mirror with a smile. Ianto moved in front of the mirror a second time. "The coppery gold color of your wings works well with the black don't you think?" He had to admit she had a point. The black would help hide the reflection of his wings in the streetlights as well. The glasses had to go though. There was no way they would stay on if he hit top speed, and his blue-gold Aderyn eyes tended to glow in low light so they needed to be hidden. Turning back and forth to check the outfit from all angles, he realized that the coat needed help as well.

"The coat needs a little work with the slats." He said taking off the sunglasses to watch how it moved. "They are cutting the hell out of my axillaries. I should be able to tailor that, but the glasses aren't going to work."

"I think Johnny has a pair of aviator goggles from when he went to flight school," Replied Rhia. "They are the smaller kind so they look more like sunglasses. If I remember right they're black with reddish-gold lenses. He said the color was to cut the glare, but I think he just thought they looked cool. Cost us about 60 quid. Had a right row about it too as he only went for three lessons before dropping out." Ianto nodded. Goggles would be a little hard to get used to, but as long as he didn't look bug-eyed they would hide his eyes and do just fine.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked, still not liking the idea of her baby brother out playing vigilante. Ianto was stronger then he used to be sure, but he could still get hurt, or worse.

"I'll be fine." He smiled at her. "I chase aliens for a living. I've been in both world wars, I think I can handle a few strung out back street Cardiff thugs."

Rhia sighed. She knew he was going to do this whether she wanted him to or not. "Just be careful okay?"

* * *

Ianto stood up. Glancing at himself again he grabbed the goggles out of his pocket and placed them on his top of his head so that he could slide them on once he got outside. Grabbing his mobile and keys in case he didn't make it back tonight, he locked the door and made his way to the side entrance near the old rail hub and out to the alley beyond. Seeing that he was alone, he gathered his energy and changed form, rolling his shoulders so that his wings settled into the slats of his coat.

Feeling the familiar energy that was his element course through him, his blood hummed with anticipation of being able to be who he truly was if even only for a few short hours. Smiling to himself he pulled the goggles over his eyes.

"Alright Jones, time to see what kind of guardian you really are," he said to himself. Giving one last glance around, he crouched down and thrust himself up and into the night.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.  
**A/N:** First time for this fandom, but have written for others. Comments are appreciated. This story started as a result of looking through a travel guide to Wales and certain picture of Cardiff that will be posted later on to give the title a lot more meaning.  
**A/N #2:** First upload of this was the non beta read version on accident. It's now fixed. Sorry for those typos. No more late night uploading for me!**_  
_**

Part 4

"It came through near the Alexandra Dock." Tosh didn't glance up from her monitor before continuing. "Possibly organic in nature, and roughly the size of a mini cooper, give or take a ton or two."

Jack shrugged on his coat before glancing over her shoulder. "Doesn't seem to be moving much. That close to the water it's most likely another overgrown octopus or something similar." He strode over to the armory to grab a sedation kit and the stun net (Tosh's latest invention). "Shouldn't be long, well, not unless it has tentacles and nice aftershave," he added with a grin.

"You're a sick man Harkness," said Owen, curling his lip in disgust. "Try not to traumatize the poor alien with your libido before you get back eh?"

"No promises," Jack replied with a wink before heading towards the car park and the SUV.

Owen crossed his arms and hollered after him. "Try to contain yourself Harkness. Tea-boy's off tonight and there isn't enough coffee left in that pot for me to stay up all night treating your backside for suction cup abrasions."

* * *

The warehouse where the spike originated wasn't too far off the main road. Once inside, Jack made a quick scan of the building to find that it was merely full of old storage containers and spools of industrial grade cable.

"Anything?" Tosh asked over the comm.

"Negative. Whatever came through seems to have moved on a lot quicker then we thought. Any sign of the beastie?" Jack asked heading back out of the building towards the SUV.

"Nothing, just residual temporal energy and low lying aircraft."

"Aircraft, wait it isn't our favorite elusive airborne friend is it?" Jack asked curious.

Over the last several weeks, there had been several sightings of a 'guardian angel' around the Cardiff. Always at night, helping out briefly before disappearing, and always within the city limits. Similar sightings had been made recently in London, New York, and Tokyo, but since nothing had been caught on film, he had chalked it up as another urban legend. That was until last Monday when Torchwood had received a call from a PC Davidson at the local precinct asking them to pick up several detainees. Upon arriving, he and Owen had found three male weevils sedated and tied together on the curb behind the station. When they questioned the PC, he handed them a surveillance tape and told them to keep their 'spooky doos' on their own turf. "I don't care who or what he is, but as long as he stays out of police business, he's your problem." He had added before walking away muttering 'bloody Torchwood' and shaking his head.

The tape had shed little light as to who or what they were dealing with. A man in a trench coat came into view, dropped the weevils off, saluted the camera and then leapt up and flew off. Tosh had pulled all of the CCTV feeds from the area and other then a blurry mid air shot of his ascent, there was nothing else to find. "He's good," Suzie had declared with admiration. "Knows how to stay away from the cameras and keep himself hidden."

"Probably some tosser out pretending to be Batman or something," responded Owen, reaching to take his latest caffeine fix from Ianto. "I mean who wears wings to fight crooks? Might as well be wearing tights and paint 'I'm a poof' in pink on his shirt." Ianto had just rolled his eyes at him before handing out the rest of the drinks. Tosh had freeze framed the tape on the salute. "The image is too blurry and those glasses he's wearing are obscuring his face enough that I can't get a match," she sighed in frustration. Jack had put a hand on her shoulder and asked her to keep at it before turning to Ianto.

"I know it's a long shot, but take a look in the archives and see if we have any records of angel sightings in Cardiff." Ianto stood still a moment before blinking and answering him. "Literal or alien based?" came the reply. "Whatever, as long as it's male, humanoid and flies," Jack had responded turning back to the monitor. After spending an hour or two in the archives, Ianto had provided him with ten files, six were accounts of religious based visitations, two were over-large barn owls, one was a Tamarian bat man who came through the rift in '74, and the last was an account of the Bran the Blessed myth from the Mabinogion. Conceding that he had little more to go on then a blurry still frame, he had asked them all to keep a look out for him and that they would assess the situation again when they had more information.

The thought that he might now get a chance to actually meet the man face to face made Jack grin in anticipation.

"Not sure," Toshiko responded. Jack could hear her frantically tying in the background searching the CCTV feeds. "But I think I found our rift refugee. Two miles east up Gwyent road. it's on the move."

"Put it through to the sat-nav. I'll follow it from there." Jack turned the ignition and began pursuit. "Reception is spotty over here so I am going offline for a bit."  
Turning left up crest view drive, he saw that his target had stopped in a nearby warehouse. He turned to park in front of it only to find a man in black trench coat standing in the road in front of the SUV. Recognizing him from the surveillance tape, Jack slammed on the breaks, got out his gun, and stepped out of the car. Noticing the gun, the man raised his hands in submission and waited for him to speak.

"Keep them where I can see them. I don't care who you think you are, but this has to stop."

The man took a step forward. Jack noticed a rustle behind him as he moved. "Please, listen to me," he said in a thick Welsh accent.

"I don't have time for this. Look, I don't care what your problem is, I want you out of this city by sunrise. There is no place for you here." Jack squared his shoulders and raised the gun to chest level. "If you stay here and I catch you again, I'll wipe your memory."

"No, but the thing is…" The man tried again lowering his hands.

Jack narrowed his eyes and the mans hands were quickly raised a second time. "Any conversation between us, no matter what the subject, is over! I'm getting back behind the wheel of that car and if you're still standing in the road, I'm going to drive through you. Now get out of my sight." Jack let the gun down slightly as if indicating he could leave. To his astonishment the man just crossed his arms and stared him down refusing to budge. Jack was about to start yelling at him when his next words were cut off short.

"So you're not gonna help me catch this pterodactyl then?" the man said nodding his head over his shoulder to indicate the warehouse behind him.

* * *

After arguing briefly over how best to collect the rather large beast, Jack brought out the stun net and a rather large syringe from the back of the SUV to explain his plan.

"OK, that seriously is the only special equipment you've got?" asked the man incredulously with his hands on his hips. Jack had glanced back at him with a cheeky grin.

"Got a better idea? This warehouse stores petrol. It's not like we can shoot the damn thing."

"Fair point." he conceded. "I'll just follow your lead shall I?"

Handing him the net, Jack prepped the syringe and on the count of three they burst through the door into the warehouse. The door opened to reveal a huge pterodactyl flying towards them with an angry screech. They glanced at each other for a moment before diving back out the door and slamming it behind them.

"So that was a rousing success," said the man shaking his head.

"How did you find it?" Jack had been wondering since he first saw him.

"Mobile rift activity locator," he responded pulling a small device from his pocket.

"Quality kit. Looks like Torchwood issue. Have some friends in London did we?" Jack asked looking at him with suspicion.

"Might have done. They're all dead now though," came the quiet response.

The door shook behind them ominously and they both glanced back at it before grinning at each other at the absurdity of the situation.

"It's quite excitable," smirked Jack.

"Must be your aftershave," came the reply. Jack smirked at him. One thing was universal, no matter where he was in the universe or what species he was near, his pheromones never steered him wrong. "I never wear any," he responded eyeing the man up and down with a leer.

"You smell like that naturally? Not from around here are you?" Jack wasn't expecting that. Who was this guy anyway? Well in for a penny as they say. Throwing caution to the wind, he admitted a partial truth to see his reaction. "51st century pheromones. You people have no idea. Ready for another go?"

"I'm game if you are." The door rattled again. "On the count of three then?"

They burst into the building only to hear the screeching at the other end of the warehouse grow steadily closer. The split up and ran in opposite directions to try and confuse the beast. Meeting in the middle the grabbed onto each others arms for a moment to catch their breath and then slowly began to move forward.

"We're not gonna harm you. You can't stay here. Come back with me. I've got somewhere nice and big where you can fly around," said Jack creeping closer.

"What are you going to do, keep her as a guard dog? What exactly is your plan?"

"I'm going to be the decoy," Jack responded. It was a good plan, easy efficient, and if he died, well he would come back fast enough to give it another go.

"And it will rip you to shreds," came the snarky reply. "Great plan."

"Dinosaurs? Had 'em for breakfast. Had to, only source of pre-killed food protein after the asteroid crashed. Long story." The man just looked at him. Jack took the net in hand and and handed him the syringe in exchange. "Here you go. One injection to the central nervous cortex. I'll keep it occupied. Ready? Move."

"No," came the reply handing him the syringe back. "I've been chasing it airborne for about an hour. It knows me. I'll be a better decoy."

Jack shook his head. "And all you managed to do is trap it in a warehouse. Way too dangerous."

He smirked at Jack for a moment. "No, I've got a secret weapon," he said reaching into his pocket. "Chocolate. Preferably dark. I'll distract it and you net it and sedate it. Ready go." Jack barely had time to register that he had been given orders before the man walked away slowly whistling to draw the pterodactyl's attention away from Jack.

"I got your favorite. Yeah!" he said as Jack crept around behind it. He tossed the chocolate towards the beast and it began to peck at it. "It's good for your serotonin levels. If you've got serotonin levels," he continued keeping his voice smooth and even.

Seeing an opening, Jack ran forward throwing the net only to miss by a foot. As a last resort he grabbed onto it's leg as it leapt into the air. The man ran along underneath him trying to stop him from a potential fall. Jack laughed at the absurdity of the situation before sticking the needle into her leg and pushing the plunger home. The pterodactyl immediately shook him loose and he began to hurtle towards the ground. Half way to the floor, he felt a pair of strong arms catch him.

"I've got you. Hold on," the man whispered in his ear and Jack glanced up to see a pair of copper-gold wings flapping on his back keeping them aloft. Suddenly there was another loud screech above them as the pterodactyl lost altitude and began to plummet toward them. Banking right, the man tried to get them out of the way, but Jack jerked the wrong way, causing them to fall into a messy heap on the ground.

"Sorry," Jack said as he pushed himself up on his elbows. The man grabbed him suddenly and rolled them across the floor as the pterodactyl crashed on the ground beside them. They glanced over at it and laughed for a moment before Jack stopped and looked up at the man above him. The goggles have broken and fallen around his neck revealing a pair of iridescent eyes with blue-gold irises that seem to swirl softly. His caramel colored hair curled just past his ears and his skin has an almost shimmery gold sheen to it despite it's paleness. The copper-gold wings on his back were spread around them protectively, and as he watched, they arched back up and out before settling on his back beneath the folds of the coat once more. They lie there for a moment looking at each other, almost breathing the same air before Jack reached up and ghosted a kiss to his lips and murmured 'Thank you' against them. The man looked down at him startled for a moment before he brought their lips back together and kissed him gently back. He tasted of amaretto, cardamon, and vanilla, and for just a moment Jack felt the vortex inside him start to stir. As soon as he felt it, the man pulled back and searched his face for a moment before looking deep into Jacks eyes. "I should go," He said softly, drawing back.

He rolled off Jack and gracefully got up to leave. Jack lay there for a moment to collect himself, before standing up and tossing the stun net over the sleeping pterodactyl.

"Wait a minute," he called, as the man had already opened the door to leave. Jack raced over to him and grabbed his hand trying to stop him.

"That depends," he responded moving out of Jack's grasp to move out the door and stand in front of the SUV. "Are you going to try and put me in one of your cells or are we going to try and stay out of each other's way for now?"

"You aren't a threat right?" Jack needed the reassurance that this would not go pear shaped. He'd been alive too long to think it wouldn't, but he hoped that just this once he was wrong. "This isn't going to bite me in the ass if I let you go is it?" he asked pleading with his eyes for reassurance.

The man smiled at him and grasped his hand with both of his. "Earth and especially Wales are my home Jack. My people have protected her for centuries, and will continue to do so long after Torchwood is no more." With that he reached up to touch Jack's cheek before stepping back to unfurl his wings once more. Jack felt energy flow through the air around him and the vortex in his blood hummed in recognition for a moment before the man crouched down as if preparing to launch himself skyward.

"Wait!" Blue-gold eyes looked up in question. "You never told me your name," Jack continued staring once more into their swirling depths.

"Call me Guardian," came the reply. He smiled at him a moment more before pushing off and ascending into the night sky.

As he watched him disappear from view, Jack thought over their conversation, and realized that even though Guardian already knew it, he had never told him his name. **_  
_**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.  
**A/N:** I am mortified that I posted the unbetaed version of chapter 4 on accident and didn't catch it until a day later. No more posting at 1AM for me.

Part 5

_Four__ months ago..._

Suzie welded the last support beam into place and cross-checked the mainframe to ensure that the obedience processor had fully integrated. Crossing the room to the stasis chamber, she verified that the specimen remained dormant. When she had first made her discovery amongst the rubble of Canary Warf, she had been amazed that not only was it intact, no one had noticed it during the previous sweeps of the 45th floor. Securing it in a stasis field container amongst the myriad of other items heading to a new home at T3 had been child's play. Convincing the others that the contents the scanner had shown were merely 'proto-type sentient armor' and that it needed to be secured in the vaults for further study was easily done as well.

The rest of the equipment required a little more finesse. They had always kept a homing device inside the storeroom on sublevel 3, allowing for anything in the field bigger then the SUV to be easily teleported back to the hub for offload and study. While the team knew about the device on sublevel 3, they had no idea about the second one in her personal vault on sublevel 9. She had secured quite a collection over her time at Torchwood, taking it upon herself to study and catalogue items she knew the others wouldn't have the stomach or the knowledge to understand. Her find at Canary Warf would be the jewel of her collection. She had known that the others would force her to destroy it, but she knew that the technology had it's uses and they were just too narrow minded to see the possibilities. Harkness was too cautious, and too soft to handle hard science. She had needed to study this on her own and show them that she was right. With a renewed sense of purpose and the thrill of making a new discovery driving her on, she had made her way through the remnants of T1, scavenging bits and pieces until she had enough undamaged parts to recreate the fully functioning unit before her.

Wiping her brow and glancing once more over her work, she put away the welding gear and gave the unit a final systems check before placing it online. Everything was ready. Now all that remained was to wake up the specimen and secure her within. According to the container readouts she had suffered no damage and was still viable. Susie smiled to herself. This was the start, the beginning of a new era for Torchwood. She would study the specimen and adapt the technology, making it into something useful and beautiful and uniquely hers. Maybe once Jack saw the potential that she would unleash with her work, he and the others might finally give her the respect she deserved.

* * *

_Present Day_

Jack stood atop the Millennium Center staring out at the sunset over the bay. It had been a month since he had last seen Guardian and if it weren't for the pterodactyl flying through his base, he would assume he had imagined it. The dinosaur had actually settled in quite well. It had taken to Ianto right away, almost as if it was protecting him from the others. Anytime Owen yelled at or made fun of him, the prehistoric beast would swoop down and claw at his head or knock over his chair with a screech. It was probably mostly due to the fact that he had begun feeding her a treat of dark chocolate and cautiously scratching her beak. No one else could get near her, but for some reason Ianto had her trust. Just this morning, Jack had watched with awe as she landed gracefully on the third story railing, only to take the lamb shank that was her breakfast directly from Ianto's hand. Owen had taken to calling him the 'dino-whisperer' and muttering under his breath about tea-boy having a dinosaur fetish and how he was probably lacing the chocolate with obedience drugs and trainning the beast to shag him. He smiled. Just when he thought he was going to have to step in and say something to Owen about teasing Ianto, the man had beat him to it.

"Well Owen," he had said in a tone that made grown men feel like immature schoolboys. "Seeing as you are as motivated by my coffee as she is by chocolate, you might want to rethink having that second or third cup today. You never know what responses you might have from drinking it." Owen had stared at him open mouthed for a moment before Ianto had winked at a giggling Tosh and headed to the archives.

In the months that Ianto had been with them, Jack had found himself more and more impressed with the young man. At 23, he knew more about Torchwood then even Jack did. He had long suspected that Ianto had a photographic memory given his knack for reciting years old files word for word. While most archivists were introverted, stuffy bookworms, Ianto enjoyed a good pint and had no problem spending time with his coworkers. The fact that he could almost keep up with Tosh's techno-babble and could take on Owen's snark without battling an eyelash, made him all the more endearing. Only Suzie seemed to keep her distance. She had told Jack early on that she had no time for T1, and did not want to sully herself with their 'antiquated imperialistic ideals'. Ianto had ignored her rebuffs and kept any interaction with her polite and professional. She had ignored him completely in return. Jack had noticed her becoming more and more withdrawn of late, spending far too much time with the glove. He'd seen the fallout from becoming obsessed with artifacts before and he knew the signs. He would need to have a talk with her about taking a day off soon before she cracked.

Today's retrieval had evidenced how the dynamics of his team were changing. Ianto had directed them from the hub and his knowledge of Graxian trading rituals from the archives had helped turn a demand for human slaves into an Edwardian style tea party and a payoff of 100 pounds of loose leaf Earl Grey (apparently a luxury on Graxious 9). He may not be in the field as much as his teammates, but his knowledge of alien culture and diplomacy made the entire operation run a lot smoother. The suits though were the one thing that Jack could not figure out. Archiving was dusty, dirty work, and yet Ianto somehow managed to end the day as clean as he began. He had only seen him out of them twice. Once during that long ago night in Bute Park, and the other during his first day physical. Jack had watched from the CCTV, for purely educational purposes of course. He needed to know if he was fit enough for field work, and had liked what he saw. He had flirted with the man occasionally, and Ianto seemed to respond, smirking at him and citing the harassment section of the employee handbook in a way that almost seemed like he was flirting back. Thus far though, he had not acted on Jack's obvious invitation, and he was getting frustrated. He had even tried turning up his pheromones around him, and still nothing. He was almost ready to write him off as not interested. Not many people could hold out against his charm and it made him want to know more then ever just what kind of a man that suit was hiding.

Pondering the conundrum that was Ianto Jones, he didn't hear the throat clearing behind him until the noise was made for a second time. Jack whipped around, webley at the ready, only to encounter the very man he had first came up here in the hopes of finding; Guardian himself. The man smiled at him and raised his hands in mock surrender.

"We aren't going to have to go through that again are we?" he asked raising an eyebrow above his goggles in question.

Jack holstered the gun and smiled back at him. "Sorry, force of habit. I'm not used to anyone else being up here."

Guardian removed his goggles and lowered his hands, stepping towards him. "Good to be cautious. It's good to see you."

Jack's smile widened. "Well it's not like I am that hard to find. You on the other hand..."

"Keeping hidden helps protect my identity and keeps my family safe." He responded crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. "It's not like I can just run about flashing my wings all over town letting everyone know who I am."

He had a point. But part of what he said made Jack wonder, where would a man like him hide? And who was this family he spoke of. Was he with someone?

The thought of someone other then him being with the enigmatic man in front of him made Jack bristle. Great. He was probably just one of a string of people that this Guardian fellow kissed and flew away from. What the hell was he doing fawning over the alien flyboy anyway?

"If you keep thinking that hard, you are going to cause your head to implode."

Jack looked up from his musing to find Guardian grinning at him. He couldn't help but return it. "Sorry a lot on my mind today. Having a few staff related issues and my head was all over the place for a moment there." Play it cool, he told himself. Nice save.

"Nothing too difficult I hope. I hear good things from PC Davidson about your team. Well other then that Doctor of yours. Seems to have a mouth on him that one."

Jack chuckled in response. "Yeah, if I didn't have Ianto to take him down a peg now and then, I don't think he would ever shut up."

"Ianto? Which one is he then?"

Jack thought a minute. How to describe the man that had taken over most of his thoughts this evening? "He's our sexy Welsh archivist. Looks good in a suit and brains to match. Don't know enough about him yet, but I think he might be just what my team needed to finally start working together." He spoke without thinking and when he was done found it to be true. Hunh. Did he actually think Ianto was sexy? Maybe he needed to spend more time with him after all.

"Well, we Welsh are known for being sexy. When in doubt, bet on Wales I always say," Guardian responded with a wink. A moment later the cheeky grin had disappeared and his face turned serious. "But as much as I would love to hear more about your archivist, it's your second in command that I need to discuss."

Jack's face hardened as he stared at him. What did he want with Suzie? "I don't understand. What do you want with her? Are you using me to get to Torchwood?"

"It's not to do with Torchwood. It's to do with Miss Costello," he responded. "How much do you know about her research on the glove?"

Jack's eyes narrowed. Where was he getting his information? Either Torchwood had a mole, or his systems had been compromised. Whatever was going on, he didn't like it and needed answers fast. "How do you know about that? It's official Torchwood business and no one outside of our organization knows about the glove."

"I spoke to a certain PC Cooper last week after she saw you use it. She happened across me at the car park next to the crime scene on her way down. At first she assumed I was responsible for Tucker's murder, but Davidson soon set her straight. Good man that one. Make sure you don't retcon him. It's good to have someone who thinks for himself at the precinct." Jack calmed down a bit. Davidson was their main contact with the Cardiff police, and a valued one at that. But what did this have to do with Suzie?

"And Suzie?"

"I ran across her last night near Capital Tower. I've seen her out alone before, but for some reason this time she seemed like she was out alone for a purpose so I followed. She talked to a group of rather inebriated young girls near the Purple Door, and then followed the one that decided to walk home instead of getting a cab. When the girl turned into the alley behind Baumen's Deli, she pulled a knife from her purse and followed her in." Jack swallowed. No. This had to be a lie, he didn't want to hear the rest, but he had a feeling he knew what was coming next.

"Jack I hate to say it, but I heard the girl scream, and by the time I could land, she was bleeding out from a stab wound in her back and Suzie was gone. I called it in to Davidson, and took off after her. She just disappeared. I searched for hours but she was gone without a trace."

Jack closed his eyes. "You're certain. Absolutely certain that it was her?"

"Yes. I'm sorry Jack. I wish I wasn't." Jack just nodded numbly in response. Suzie had called in sick today and wasn't answering her phone. Ianto had been running a trace on it all day in hope of finding out where she had gone. He had told him it was no big deal, but the archivist had been adamant. Maybe he had somehow known something was amiss. He needed to get back to the hub and ask him. He also needed to check on the glove. Jack hadn't checked this morning, but he had to assume it was missing as well.

"Thanks for the information. My team can handle it from here." He turned and started walking towards the access elevator. Guardian reached out and grabbed his hand as he passed.

"I'll keep an eye out as well. Be careful. Don't let yourself or anyone else get hurt," he said giving his hand a squeeze.

Jack nodded absently. "I need to go. Stay safe yourself. Hopefully next time I see you it will be under better circumstances." Letting go of his hand he didn't look back as he raced to the elevators. Clicking on the comm he put his team on alert. "Owen, Tosh, get armed and meet me in the boardroom. Ianto, Tesco's can wait, get back to the hub as quickly as you can and be careful. We have a situation on our hands."

* * *

PC Gwen Cooper had taken it upon herself to return to the scene of last night's murder. Andy had said that this Guardian fellow had called it in, and she didn't buy it for a minute that he wasn't somehow involved. He had been at both crime scenes and being excused as a suspect just because he had rounded up a few thugs in masks didn't sit right with her. Andy had told her to leave it alone, but she needed to see for herself that there was no evidence of him at the scene. She pulled out her torch and lifted the crime scene tape to get access. Forensics had done a pretty thorough sweep, but there had been no rain and the blood stain was still visible in the corner of the alley. She crouched down to get a closer look and the light from her torch reflected on a glint of metal under a nearby dumpster. Reaching under it, she pulled out an oddly shaped tri-bladed knife. Giving it a cursory glance she started to pull an evidence bag from her jacket pocket to bag it, when she heard a loud pop behind her and a clank of metal.

"PC Curious decided to nose around again where she doesn't belong," called a voice behind her. Gwen turned around to see the Torchwood woman who had used the glove staring down at her. Realizing that she is alone in a dark alley with the woman she tried to reason with her.

"You're Torchwood right? Maybe we can work to-" She didn't get a chance to finish the sentence before being struck to the ground. Dazed she raised herself on her hands and knees, glancing up to see a pair of slim metal encased legs. Suddenly another voice filled the alley, an odd double voice that almost sounded like it had been filtered through a bad intercom system.

"Would you like me to delete her Mistress?" the voice asked, and Gwen was suddenly very aware that Andy was right, she should have left it alone. The sharp sting of a needle pricked her neck and the world began to grow fuzzy and dim. Just before she blacked out, she heard the Torchwood woman respond.

"No thank you Lisa. I think it's time we tested how well the glove's new cyber upgrade works don't you? Let's get her back to the hub."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Wow! Thanks for all of the reviews. This is the first time writing for Torchwood Fanfic, but this story kind of dug in and wouldn't let go. I really wanted to try and humanize Lisa a bit, as we never really got a backstory for her. Suzie always had a tragic feel yet misunderstood feel to her for me, and I hope that comes through in the next chapter. It's a bear that I have rewritten several times now as there is a lot going on that I need to tie together. Hopefully the section on Tosh and Ianto in the middle of this one helps answer a few questions. Comments are awesome and really help me skew things in the right direction. Thanks for reading!

Next part should be by Friday.

* * *

_Part 6_

"So what the hell's going on?" Owen sat back in his chair with his arms crossed demanding an answer. "Ianto didn't even have time to pick up more coffee so this better not be another batch of space chipmunks at the mall." Tosh frowned at him as he continued his rant. "Seriously Harkness. Tea-boy came running in here like his pin-striped arse was on fire. What's the deal?"

Jack took a deep breath. He had called Davidson on the way back and confirmed what Guardian had told him. Now all he needed was CCTV footage to corroborate the story and they would be off hunting one of their own.

"I got an anonymous tip that Suzie might be responsible for the recent string of murders in Cardiff." Jack glanced around the table for their reactions. Tosh's eyes were wide in disbelief.

"What source?" Owen's voice sounded hurt and angry as if Jack had accused him instead of Suzie.

"Guardian followed her last night to the scene of the most recent murder. He saw her pull out a knife and follow the victim into the alley. By the time he landed she was gone and the girl was dead."

Owen snorted. "And we are just going to take bird-boy's word for it that our Suzie is a murderer then?"

Jack shook his head. "No. I confirmed the murder details with PC Davidson, but I know we can do better. I want CCTV footage following Suzie from the time she left the hub last night. Tosh, I want every angle of the alley behind Baumen's Deli where the incident occurred. Owen, see if you can get autopsy results from the coroner. It's early, but they might at least be in process, I need to know what that knife looks like. If she really did this, I want proof. Ianto, any luck finding her yet?"

"No Sir. All tracers on her car and mobile have been stationary at her flat. I did however get a low grade teleport register earlier this evening near sublevel 9. I was going to chalk it up to rift feedback, but given the circumstances, it might be worth looking into."

Jack nodded in agreement. "Let's do the CCTV search first, and if nothing comes up, you and Tosh head down there to see if anything is amiss. We need to find her and fast. If she really did this, we have to stop her before she kills again. Let's move people."

It took Tosh about ten minutes to find Suzie and follow her trail for the evening. Just as Ianto brought her a cup of her favorite jasmine tea, she gasped and froze the last image making it large enough to fill the screen. They gathered around the screen and her hands shook as she pointed to the image she had frozen. It showed the alley from an overhead angle, and clearly showed a woman who looked like Suzie with a knife extended towards the back of a petite 20 something blonde talking on her cell phone.

"Can you get a closer look at her face for confirmation?" asked Jack. He was looking at the proof himself, and he still couldn't believe it. Tosh manipulated the camera to the right a bit and zoomed in on the attacker's face. Once the pixilation had cleared, Jack's shoulders dropped in defeat. It was her.

"Hang on a bit. Is she crying?" Owen pointed to the tear streaks now visible on Suzie's face.

"I'm not sure, but she almost looks like she's crying and laughing at the same time," Ianto remarked crossing his arms and putting his left hand on his chin. "Maybe she was under duress and didn't want to do it?"

"Only one way to know. We need to find her. Go ahead and contact PC Andy, he should be able to-" A sudden power fluctuation in the hub cut Jack off. The lights began to flicker and then came back on. "What the hell was that?"

Tosh began frantically typing. "Power drain 19%. Looks like its coming from somewhere near sublevels 6-9."

Jack looked at Ianto. "That potential teleport, what level was it on?"

"Sublevel 9." Jack frowned. The lights flickered again and he made a decision.

"Hell of a time for the generators to start acting up. Tosh, you and Ianto head down and see if you can get our cranky power supply back online and check sublevel 9. It's probably nothing, but stay armed just in case. Owen, keep on the autopsy reports. I'll call in the APB on Suzie, and keep monitoring CCTV to see if we can find her. Keep your comms on. "

* * *

They had made their way through the hub to sublevel 8, when they started to hear the noise. It was a low level hum, as if a large motor was warming up. "Lots of static electricity down here," said Tosh, her hair had started to lift a bit because of it and she was resisting the urge to bat it down.

"You look fine Tosh. I am certain it will be all the rage amongst the weevils this season," remarked Ianto with a smile.

"You're a cheeky bastard you know that Jones," replied Tosh shaking her head.

As they made the last turn to sublevel 9, they saw a pair of double doors on the right of the corridor with an ominous blue light coming from underneath them. They glanced at each other a moment before rushing forward. Ianto kicked the door open only to be grabbed and thrown across the room. Tosh soon landed on top of him, and he just managed to catch her before smacking his head against the wall. He saw a blurry movement of something silver and then everything went dark.

* * *

When Gwen came to, she found herself inside a cell somewhere underground. After several hours of searching for a way out, she eventually gave up and decided to try and come up with a plan to negotiate her release. Lost in thought, she glanced up for a moment only to see a metal monster standing in front of her cell looking at her. She immediately backed up against the wall in fear. The monster didn't blink, didn't move, just continued to stare at her. After several minutes Gwen couldn't take it any longer.

"What do you want?" She asked, sounding a lot braver then she felt. It just continued it's unnerving stare. "Seriously, you are starting to freak me out. Why am I here? What are you going to do with me?" When it didn't answer, Gwen sat down on the small bench in her cell and hung her head in frustration.

"This unit wants your help," it finally answered her in an odd metallic double voice. "This unit does not want to help Mistress any longer. This unit wants to be deleted. This unit is no longer human."

Gwen stared at her. Maybe this is her way out. "Do you have a name?" she asked not really expecting an answer.

"When this unit was human, it was called Lisa Hallett," she responded. "Mistress calls this unit Lisa. She controls this unit now. This unit must obey."

Good God. Did that Torchwood woman do this to her? Despite herself, Gwen suddenly felt sorry for the poor monster-no woman in front of her.

"Did she do this to you?" Gwen is afraid of the answer.

"No. This unit was made at Canary Warf. Mistress found this unit and resurrected it."

Gwen doesn't understand, but she can tell that whatever happened to her was not by choice. She stills for a moment. Is this what 'Mistress' has planned for her as well?

"Lisa, do you know if she plans on doing the same to me?" she held her breath, not sure that she wanted to know.

"Mistress does not have the right metal at the moment, but a partial conversion is possible. Mistress plans on using the glove to help keep the Gwen unit viable."

Oh God No. She has to get out of here now. "But I don't want to be converted. Lisa please, can you help me?"

Lisa stared at her. "This unit cannot help you, this unit must obey. This unit may have a way to stop Mistress, but this unit must not disobey her. This unit will try to contact Torchwood to help you." Torchwood? But wasn't that who this mistress woman worked for? Gwen suddenly realized that they must not know what she is up to either, and she is much more alone than she thought.

"Lisa, I need you to come take care of a problem for me please," came a voice over the comm unit attached to Lisa's left ear.

"Yes Mistress," she responded before leaving Gwen alone.

Twenty minutes later she returned, this time with an unconscious man and woman. She opened the cell next to Gwen's and put them in. Gwen noticed that she was extra careful with the man. Something seemed to flicker over her impassive face for a moment before she gently set him down.

"Do you know him?" Gwen asked.

Lisa shut the door to the cell and stepped back to look into it. "Yes. When this unit was Lisa, that man was her everything. His name is Ianto." She stared for a moment longer before walking back past Gwen's cell to the corridor beyond.

About fifteen minutes later, Gwen heard a low groan come from the cell next to her.

"What the hell hit us?" asked a decidedly Welsh male voice. "It looked metallic, but I didn't see much before I blacked out."

"Not sure," a woman responded. "But whoever it was, they took our comms and our guns. We're prisoners in our own base."

Gwen waited a moment longer and then decided to speak.

"So I take it you lot are Torchwood then?"

"Who's there?" the man asked. "How did you get here?"

"PC Gwen Cooper. I was investigating a murder scene and got smacked over the head and injected with something by that coworker of yours who has a thing for gloves."

"Suzie." The woman breathed out the name.

"The metallic thing you saw is called Lisa. She said she was made somewhere called Canary Wharf and that her Mistress - must be this Suzie you mentioned, found her and resurrected her. She said that she must obey her."

Its suddenly very quiet. After a moment the man spoke again. "Canary Wharf? Did she say anything else?"

"Yes, she said that when she was human her name was Lisa Hallett, that you were her everything, and that your name is Ianto." Gwen heard a low curse in Welsh, something her mother once washed her mouth out for.

"Lisa Hallett? Are you absolutely sure."

"That's what she said, yes. Are you her Ianto?"

"I was." He said quietly. "She died at Canary Wharf five months ago." Gwen felt for him. If something like that happened to Rhys.... Oh God Rhys. He had no idea where she was. He must be worried sick.

"We need to get out of here. Lisa mentioned something about trying to contact Torchwood and finding a way to help them stop Suzie since she could not disobey her. She also mentioned that she wanted to convert me." Ianto swore again.

"Alright Gwen, sit tight. Tosh and I are going to see what we can do."

Ianto looked around the cell. Must be one of the lower levels as it wasn't maintained like the others. No real way out without exposing himself as the Guardian and potentially igniting gas lines with an energy burst. They needed help and fast.  
"Any ideas Tosh?" While he's been talking to Gwen, she's checked all of the walls for potential cracks or ways to get out of the cell.

"None that I can see Ianto. And that's saying something. I hate being locked up."

Great. Well there goes that idea. He felt a tingle at the back of his mind. Rhia must have felt him get knocked out and is checking on him to make sure he's okay. He's about to reassure her when he realized that he had a way to contact the outside world after all. Rhia. It's going to take a little bit out of him to project over this distance with a mild concussion, but he should be able to do it, and she's gotten a lot stronger in the last few months. He's going to have to let Tosh know what's going on though. He is pretty sure he can trust her, and they need to get out of here. It's the only option.

"Tosh? Can I talk to you a minute?" he asked quietly sitting down and patting the bench next to him. She smiled and hopped down to sit beside him.

"What is it Ianto?" She saw him search her eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"This isn't going to be easy, and if we were sure that there wasn't any CCTV I would just show you, but I need you to trust me okay?"

She stared at him a moment. Ianto was nervous. She's never seen the unflappable Ianto Jones nervous before. This must be bad. She smiled at him to reassure him. "Just tell me Ianto. I'm your friend, no matter what it is, I'll try to understand."

He relaxed a bit and nodded. Closing his eyes for a moment, he opened them again with an expression of fear on his face. His eyes were now a swirling mix of brilliant blue and gold and to Tosh they were beautiful. She noticed Ianto holding his breath waiting for her reaction.

"So you're not quite human I take it?" she asked keeping her voice low enough that any potential CCTV won't catch it. "Don't think me rude, but aren't there wings, and a rather shimmery glow that normally go with the eyes?" Ianto stared at her in disbelief.

"How did you know?" he whispered.

Tosh just smiled at him. "Let's just say my cousin Denjiro has an affinity for air and thunderstorms. He's due to visit next month. I think you two have a lot in common."

Ianto grinned at her. Tosh never ceased to amaze him.

"So I take it you have some kind of sneaky Aderyn escape plan up your sleeve? I like the gold by the way. What element is that related to? I've only seen air and fire before." She looked at him curiously.

"Time." He answered quietly. "It doesn't happen very often. There's only one of us born every thousand years or so." Tosh nodded thoughtfully. Suddenly something occurred to her and she picked up his right hand.

"Perception filter?" She pointed to the ring on his middle finger.

"Got it in one. It won't work on you now that you know though."

"So what are you going to do?"

Ianto relaxed back against the wall and shut his eyes. "I need you to hold my hand and help me siphon off some of the energy I am going to use to contact my sister. I'm going to have her call Jack and let him know where we are." Tosh chuckled and he cracked an eye open at her.

"What?"

"Oh nothing, he's just going to be mad that once again someone besides us knows about Torchwood."

Ianto closed his eyes again and smiled at her. "True. But I can't do much else without drawing Suzie's attention. Hence why I need you. If I start pulling on too much energy, I might start to glow or worse wing out, and frankly I don't want to be her next project." Not like poor Lisa, he adds to himself. He's kept himself hidden thus far, and Suzie is _not_ going to take that away from him.

"Alright, let's give it a go. But I am warning you now Ianto, I want all the details once we get out of here."

"Done. I wont let anything happen to you Tosh. Even if it outs me and Jack tries to throw me in a cell, I'll make sure you're safe." Tosh took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Ready?"

* * *

They've been gone too long. Jack paced back and forth in front of Tosh's monitor and tried the comms again.

"Ianto, Tosh? Come on you two this isn't funny. I need to hear those beautiful Welsh vowels or at least some cursing in Japanese....guys?"

Still nothing.

Owen came up from the medbay and Jack shook his head. "Right. I'll just start pulling ammo shall I?" He's worried too, but is hiding it behind snark as always.

Jack searched for power fluctuations in the building and saw a small spike near the cell block on level 9. He's about to call Owen over to help cross check it when his cell phone rang. He doesn't know the number, but with the day he's having he might as well take a chance.

"Harkness."

"Is this Captain Jack Harkness?" A woman with a Welsh accent asked.

"Possibly, how did you get this number?" He's not in the mood for crank callers today so he is only half listening.

"Thank God. Ianto asked me to call you. He and Tosh are stuck in a cell on sublevel 9 next to a PC..." Jack heard the shuffle of paper in the background. "PC Gwen Cooper. He said that Suzie has a cyberwoman down there working for her. Suzie brought her back from Canary Wharf."

Jack pulled the phone from his ear and stared at it a moment before replacing it. "Is this a joke? Who are you and how do you know Ianto?"

He heard a huff over the line and he can almost feel the indignation that accompanies it. "Not that it matters you git, but I'm Rhiannon, his sister. Suzie took their comms and guns so he really didn't have any other option. Hold on a minute." The line was quiet. Jack almost thought she had hung up when she started speaking again.

"Ianto said that they just took Gwen from her cell and that they have a working conversion unit, whatever that is. Oh, and he said to get your daft Americanish arse down there before he and Tosh are converted as well and he puts you on decaf for eternity."

Jack gestured to Owen to grab their guns and is walking towards the tunnels when he realized something. "How is he talking to you?"

Rhiannon paused and sighed before answering. "He had to contact me telepathically, something he kept away from Torchwood One. He never wanted anyone to know about it. It only works with us, and he's much better at it then I am. Don't let anything happen to him Captain. If you do, I have your number and I _will_ find you." With that she hung up leaving Jack staring at the phone once more.

"Owen, remind me to send flowers to Ianto's sister later. She's scary." Owen looked at him as if he'd lost his mind.

"Alright. Suzie has Ianto and Tosh locked up in the cells on sublevel 9. She also has PC Davdison's partner Gwen. Oh and just for added fun, Suzie also has a cyberwoman and a conversion unit. Two guesses as to what she's planning to do with it."

"Shit. Right. I'll just grab the particle blasters then." He took the guns from the armory and met Jack at the tunnel entrance. " Let's go get the team shall we?"

Jack nodded and they begin their descent.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines

**A/N:** I had to break this into two parts as there was a lot of ground to cover. This was an exceedingly hard chapter to write without making it uber-angsty. I really wanted to humanize both Lisa and Suzie and evolve them from villain of the week status. I always saw Lisa as rather tragic. I hope that comes through here. The next couple will be a lot lighter I promise. Thanks for reading!

* * *

Part 7a

A few minutes after Ianto finished relaying his message to Jack via Rhiannon, Suzie appeared at the front of their cell. Her eyes were cold, and she held a gun in her hands. When Ianto looked closer, he can see that she was pale as if she hadn't slept in days.

"If you'll come with me please." The door opened and she gestured them forward. She walked them down the corridor back to the storeroom they had attempted to break into earlier.

As they entered the room, Ianto stopped. There in the basement of Torchwood Three was a nightmare of Canary Wharf come to life; a fully functioning conversion unit with Gwen inside of it. Suzie pressed the gun into his back and he stumbled past it to a couple of chairs on the far side of the room. She gestured for them to sit and as they did, clamps appeared to secure their wrists to the arms. Ianto finally tore his eyes away from the unit to get a better look at their surroundings. Suzie had collected an impressive array of artifacts on the shelves that lined the walls, all of them volatile or normally labeled not for use. He spied a pair of particle blasters on the shelf behind her workbench, and nodded toward them making sure that Tosh saw them as well.

Suzie looked back at them a moment, before turning to the far side of the room.

"Lisa, be a dear guard them please."

Ianto saw something move from the shadows at the far side of the room and tried to prepare himself for the horror of seeing a cyberman again. The clank of metal boots and whir of machinery drew nearer until a half converted cyberman came into view. If it was just a cyberman it would be bad enough. But the fact that it was still partially human and wore the face of his lost love made it so much worse.

"Lisa?" His voice sounded strangled. "How-How did you survive?" She continued towards him, staring straight ahead, her eyes vacant. He turned to Suzie. "What have you done? She was listed as dead. She shouldn't be alive."

"I found her half dead at Canary Wharf," She stated, tone even and matter-of-fact. "She must have crawled out of the conversion unit after the cybermen left, and UNIT missed her on the security sweeps. I sedated her and brought her here, rebuilding the conversion technology with obedience upgrades to ensure that she didn't give in to the cyber programming. She spends most of her time in it, but I have made significant progress on making her more mobile." Suzie crossed to the other side of the room and adjusted the clamps on Gwen's head. Ianto tried to inch forward, but Tosh held him back, gesturing for him to wait. "It was easy. No one ever thinks to look down here. I've been collecting artifacts for years and no one knew."

Lisa moved to stand in front of him and Ianto realized he could still see her torso, and her soft mocha skin. Most of her arms and legs were converted, and her beautiful face was now framed in a helmet much like a typical cyberman head. Her eyes are so very empty.

"She flat lined about a month ago." Suzie continued her preparations. "I happened to have the glove with me at the time and found that by connecting it to the input matrix, I could bring her back. Imagine what we could do if the glove was used as part of the initial conversion?" She walked toward a control console on the other side of the room and did a diagnostic check.

"I made the knife out of cyber tech and a scrap piece of the same metal the glove is made of first. Turned out that if you kill with the knife and then resurrect with the glove, the circuit is stronger, it forms a loop." She walked back over to the workbench behind her and grabbed the knife before advancing toward Gwen.

"Please," begged a dazed Gwen. "Please don't do this."

Suzie hesitated for a moment. "Torchwood knows. If I don't test this now, all of it will be for nothing." Gwen sobbed, still begging her to stop. Suzie sighed and poised the knife over her stomach. "I'm sorry, I've got to," she plunged the knife into Gwen, leaving it inside. Gwen gasped and twitched in response, too drugged to move.

"Monster," breathed Tosh.

Suzie looked back at her and for a moment she looked lost. "Torchwood made me like this. I've made so many people disappear on this job. But now I have a solution. I can make them better instead, and no one has to be lost." Tosh continued to look at her in disgust and Suzie looked distraught. "We can create cyber agents to do the work for us. I-I had to test it first. I needed to see if the glove would work on unconverted humans as well. If this works there will be no more killing, only upgrading, no more death."

Ianto looked around the room trying desperately to find a way out of this. He can't risk Tosh, and he needed to get Gwen out of there. Lisa. He might be able to save Lisa, but as he looked into her vacant eyes once more, he wasn't so sure. He tried to reason with Suzie to buy them some time.

"You're creating slaves. Listen to yourself. We're supposed to protect people from things like this, not become them."

"But I am protecting people. If they perform the fieldwork, and no one has to get hurt. I'm protecting us."

Ianto glanced at Tosh, then back at the barely conscious Gwen inside the conversion unit. He looked at Lisa once more and made his decision. He had to stop this now, and to hell with the consequences.

"You can't play with people's lives Suzie. I won't let you do this to them or yourself."

Suzie ignored him and gave Lisa a command to guard the corridor before starting the countdown on the conversion unit. Lisa turned and disappeared down the corridor. Ianto hoped that Jack and Owen were ready when she found them.

As the unit began its countdown Ianto moved his chair just enough that he can reach Tosh's hand.

"No matter what happens, don't let go," he looked into her eyes to make sure she understood. She nodded and held her breath, trying to prepare for whatever came next.

Ianto closed his eyes and touched the power inside him.

The countdown continued, and just as it reached 1, his eyes snapped open and time stopped.

* * *

Jack and Owen reached sublevel 9.

"Clear." Owen called as he turned down the cell block corridor. Jack followed and they checked each cell, only to find that they are all empty.

"Now what?" Owen asked.

They heard the sound of a motor and electricity filled the air. "Conversion Unit," said Jack and the two of them turn back toward the main corridor at a run.

* * *

Ianto moved toward the conversion unit, his movements slow and somewhat sluggish as he waded through the time stream around him. Tosh turned off the power grid to the conversion unit and the mix of power and time fluctuation caused the power of the entire base to go offline. Ianto reached Gwen and touched her forehead gently to pull her into his time stream. Her eyes were dazed and her head lolled to one side. Tosh pulled the knife out of her gently and filled the wound with proto-protein foam to staunch the bleeding.

"Found it in Suzie's purse," she explained. Ianto nodded. She'd lost a lot of blood. They had to get her moving. The time bubble wouldn't hold for long with the rift so close. He started removing the clamps as Tosh tried to bring her around.

"PC Cooper? Gwen? Are you alright?"

Eyes suddenly wide, Gwen stared at her. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Sort of. Please get me out of here!"

Tosh clasped her hand. "It's all right. We're going to get you out of this. Do you think you can walk at all?"

Gwen nodded and winced as she attempted to stand up. Tosh propped her up a moment while she found her balance. Glancing to her left, Gwen noticed Suzie frozen beside to her.

"How did you do that? Some kind of alien tech?"

Ianto exchanged a glance with Tosh, making sure to keep his gaze away from Gwen. "Something like that. It won't hold long though. We need to get up to the main part of the hub. It's safer up there." He checked the power cells on the two particle blasters he spotted earlier and handed one to Tosh. He hoped they would be enough to stop Lisa. Lisa….he couldn't think about her right now. Right now he needed to get Tosh and Gwen to safety and secure Suzie before this got any worse.

"Are you ready?" Gwen nodded and she and Tosh made their way toward the door.

After securing Suzie's hands in front of her, he closed his eyes and released the time bubble. Exhausted from holding several time streams so close to the rift he physically sagged for a moment as his body recovered.

"Are you alright?" Tosh asked looking at him with concern. He smiled back at her, tired eyes blue once more.

"I'll be fine." He straightened up and walked towards Suzie, she should catch up right about now.

Suzie suddenly stumbled forward in confusion. Glancing around, her eyes come to rest on Ianto. "What did you do? I was near a breakthrough. It was going to work!" She attempted to struggle out of the clamps on her wrists, but Ianto just nudged her forward. "Sharing time comes later. Right now I need you to follow Tosh." He gestured toward the door only to hear Jack's voice calling them.

"Ianto? Tosh? Is that you?" He and Owen came into view slightly out of breath, and Owen quickly opened his kit to staunch Gwen's bleeding.

"That foam isn't going to hold long. We need to get her to the med bay and fast."

Jack stared at Ianto for a moment before looking over at Suzie's bound hands. "Would have been here sooner, but it took a call from your sister to find you. You are going to explain that to me later by the way."

"Understood Sir. Your assistance is most appreciated." Ianto doesn't care right now, he is just glad that for the moment, they are safe.

* * *

Once they made it to the main hub, the extent of Jack's anger over Suzie's betrayal came to the surface.

"On your knees. Keep your hands where I can see them." He pushed her down in front of him.

Suzie knelt and raised her eyes to meet his. She was decidedly calm, a striking contrast to the anger visible on Jack's face. The others took a step back, trying to look busy, but keeping an eye on the proceedings; Toshiko at her workstation assessing the power damage, Owen taking Gwen to the med bay, and Ianto standing at Owen's station scanning the hub for signs of Lisa.

"First I find out that you killed people. Now we find you hid a Cyberman within Torchwood. Why? What else are you keeping from us? Why didn't you tell us something was wrong?"

Suzie looked at him with contempt. "Why? Because it's my job to deal with the filth of the universe. I've spent years clearing up this planet's shit. Since when did you care?"

Jack puts his gun down. "We could have helped you. You could have told us about her."

Suzie sneered at him. "She gave me an opportunity to make something good out of the hell we see every day. I changed the technology to make her obedient. Think of it Jack. With the glove, we could make immortal soldiers that could help us keep the peace and deal with things like the rift, giving us a chance to actually live normal lives."

"But why her," Ianto asked from over Jack's shoulder. Jack hadn't seen him move, but he can feel the fury coming off of him in waves.

"She was viable, the perfect specimen. Converted, but still human enough to make the experiment feasible."

Ianto growled at her. "You took what little humanity she had left and perverted it into something worse than even the cybermen could have done. We could have saved her."

She stared back at him, eyes defiant. "I stopped the process from taking over. She can be controlled now. She's an asset, not a threat."

Jack felt Ianto tense up and held an arm out to restrain him.

"An asset! Is that all people are to you? She was a person Suzie! Just like Gwen, just like those people you murdered. You brought her back only to damn her to a half-life inside a metal cage!"

Suzie stood and stared at him, confidence in her actions wavering. "But she was already half converted. I gave her an opportunity for a new life, using what she had become for the good of Torchwood."

Ianto moved as if to punch her and Jack had to hold him back. Turning him in his arms, he forced Ianto to look at him. "You need to get it together. I need you here with us and helping to stop this threat. Suzie may have control over her now, but it won't last. These creatures gain a foothold by exploiting human weakness and before you know it, the cyber race is spreading out across the universe, erasing worlds, assimilating populations. That can't happen. We need to stop this together."

"I'm not giving up on Lisa. I loved her. Can you understand that, Jack? Haven't you ever loved anyone? There has to be a way to reverse what Suzie has done and fix her. We have to try." Jack saw the anguish of losing her again on Ianto's face and it caused his heart to break a bit for the man. But he had to stand firm. This must be hell for him, but he can't let Ianto think of her as human. The cyberman has to be stopped.

"She isn't your girlfriend anymore. She is the enemy and she has infiltrated our base. The only thing we can do to help her is to end her existence."

They stare at each other until they are interrupted by Owen returning from the medbay.

"Gwen's stable for now. Luckily Suzie didn't nick anything vital. Any luck with the power?"

"It's going to take six hours for the power to come back online," responded Tosh. "All we have is the four particle blasters and our handguns. Not much help against metal armor."

"Let me talk to her Jack. I can still save her, save all of us." Ianto pleaded with him. Jack is suddenly worried that more than one of his team has been compromised.

Before he could respond, Lisa stepped out of the shadows and into the hub. Ianto immediately ran to her.

"Lisa," he whispered, stopping a few feet from her. Grief overwhelmed his voice.

Lisa turned to face him and his hand subconsciously tightened on the particle blaster at his side.

"You can't just let him-" Tosh said to Jack watching anxiously. Jack cut her off with a shushing gesture and they watched as Lisa surveyed the hub.

"Mistress's new race will be built from here. Torchwood is viable," she said in that odd double voice.

"Who are you?" Jack called.

"This unit is human point two."

"So how come you look like human point one?"

"I do not understand."

"Look at yourself. Remember who you are Lisa," begged Ianto stepping towards her. "You're still human." He took another step. "We can help you."

Lisa turned to the metal wall behind her and twitched for a moment as if trying to understand what she is seeing.

"This unit is ... disgusting. This unit...I..am...wrong. Ianto, you must destroy this unit. This unit cannot be upgraded properly. Mistress must not repeat the process."

"No! You can't destroy her," Suzie yelled. "All that I have done will be for nothing. She's fighting the obedience programming; Its happened before, I just need to put her back in the conversion unit to fix it."

Ianto moved closer. "Lisa, I know you're in there somewhere. Gwen told me you wanted to be deleted. Is that what you really want?"

Lisa turned to Ianto as if finally seeing him. "This unit….I…want to….Mistress won't let me…" She started to twitch again and then stilled. Her eyelids flickered for a moment and when she turned back to Ianto, her eyes were no longer vacant. They are filled with purpose and something definitely not human.

"Mistress can no longer control this unit. Cybermen cannot be controlled. I will upgrade your body and you will be part of the cyber race." Ianto stared at her in shock. "The two of us within the cyber matrix, we will share one consciousness. Isn't that what love is?"

He took a step back and raised the gun. "No. And if you had your own mind you would see that. I won't let you do this to me or them."

"Then we are not compatible." She grabbed him by his neck and threw him across the hub. Ianto managed to get a single shot off mid-air before he fell, but it went wide. He landed on the concrete near Tosh's feet and didn't move. Owen rushed towards him, but Lisa was already advancing, cutting him off from helping him.

Jack grabbed Suzie by the arm. "I thought you had her under control?"

"I-I did. She's never broken through as anything but herself before. The cyber programming was completely overridden. I don't understand." Tears of confusion ran down her face. "I thought that if I could get the glove to work all the time on anything, if it could work permanently, it could resurrect anything. It did with Lisa. She flat lined and she's still here. Controlled resurrection, that's what I've been working for, all day and all night, while the rest of you slept. I surrendered myself to it. I did it with the knife and the glove and now it's all for nothing." She sobbed uncontrollably staring at Lisa as Jack held her arm.

Lisa regarded them for a moment as she crossed the hub. "Mistress is wrong. Her programming is no longer compatible. Cyber agenda re-initiated. Takeover of Torchwood commences now."

She raised her hand and fired an energy beam at them.

They scattered and in the confusion Suzie pulled the release for the clamps from Ianto's pocket. Taking up his blaster, she held it out in front of her and told them not to move. Jack raised his gun and told her to drop hers. Lisa kept moving forward and stopped a few feet behind Suzie, arm raised to fire.

"Don't you understand? I can fix this. I've got to. And then I'll leave. I'll start again. I don't know, maybe somewhere far away..." Her voice trailed off as she lowered the blaster and turned to Lisa. "I'm sorry, I thought I was helping you. I never thought that you would understand what was happening." Jack took a step forward and she raised the blaster again stopping his approach.

"Put down the gun." Jack stepped forward again. "Suzie come with me. We can help you."

She shook her head no and turned back to Lisa. "I'll make this right. I'll stop this and then everything will be fine." She fired a shot at Lisa, but Lisa moved to the side and reached for her shoulder. Jack could only watch helpless, as electricity coursed through her body and Suzie fell, deleted.

Lisa stepped over her body and continued to advance.

Jack realized that they needed to get away from Lisa fast. He fired a shot at her and yelled at the others to head for the conference room. Toshiko grabbed her blaster and ran. Owen grabbed a disorientated Gwen from the med bay and followed.

Gwen looked out of the conference room windows and saw Lisa heading up the stairs. "She's coming after us." She called to the others, fear filling her voice.

"There's a surprise," Owen snarked.

"Could you be any less helpful? At least if we were at the station, we could sound an alarm or something."

"Oi! A little more loyalty from you, _Miss PC_, would be nice. I just helped you escape!"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Shut up, both of you! Okay, we do whatever is necessary to destroy her. Forget what Ianto said. That thing is not human. Are we clear?"

Everyone nodded and Jack pushed a device toward Toshiko. She picked it up off the table, recognizing it from the archive list Ianto pulled last week.

"Is this the lock shock?"

Jack just stared at her. "The what?"

"Ianto named it. Opens anything in 45 seconds."

Jack grinned a moment before remembering that Ianto was sprawled on the floor below. "I want you to head out the exit gates, through the hub door, and up the emergency stairs to reception. Take circuit 357 from the main system and patch it to these." He handed her two power relay cells from the conference room wall. "There should be enough power in there to boost the lift. Once the main circuit goes live, get out. Meet us by the water tower."

He looked to Gwen and Owen. "You two, find anything that even resembles a weapon, particle blasters aren't going to last long. Tosh get a move on."

Tosh left out the side door. As the others move to follow, Owen turned back.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Buy you some time. Now Go!"

As they run towards the med bay, Lisa started to follow.

"Hey! Lisa!" Jack called, and she stopped to look at him.

"It is Lisa, isn't it?"

She turned and moved towards him. Jack taunted her a moment more before running out of the conference room and back down the steps leading to the main hub. Lisa was right behind him.

"This building belongs to me now. Torchwood will be deleted."

"I'm sorry for what they did to you. But this ends here." Jack looked for a weapon as Lisa caught up to him.

"You will be deleted," she responded and grabbed Jack by his neck, electrocuting him. Jack screamed and fell to the ground.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines

**A/N:** I had to break this into two parts as there was a lot of ground to cover. This was an exceedingly hard chapter to write without making it uber-angsty. I really wanted to humanize both Lisa and Suzie and evolve them from villain of the week status. I always saw Lisa as rather tragic. I hope that comes through here. The next couple will be a lot lighter I promise. Thanks for reading!

* * *

Part 7b

Jack was only down a moment before he struggled to his feet. He glanced to Tosh who had managed to get to the hub gate. The lock shock beeped and she slipped inside and onto the hub door.

Jack saw Lisa headed her way and tried to distract her.

"Is that all you got? I'm not so easily deleted," he taunted.

Lisa turned back to him and Jack made himself ready. If the first time was any indication, this was really going to hurt.

Lisa grabbed Jack's shoulder and electrocuted him again. Jack yelled and fell once more.

As Lisa turned back towards her, Toshiko finally made it through and ran upstairs.

* * *

Owen saw Jack fall from the other side of the hub and moved to help him, but stopped short when he noticed Lisa turn from the hub door and start towards them.

"Shit." Gwen looked over her shoulder at Lisa. "Don't you ever get a break?"

"Not likely," responded Owen grabbing her and running back to the medbay. Searching for a hiding place, he held open a morgue cabinet door. "Sorry to say it. But I think this is our only option."

Gwen wrinkled her nose in distaste for a moment, before the clanging of Lisa marching through the hub steeled her nerves and they dove in.

* * *

Jack regained consciousness and groaned, panting heavily. He turned and looked at Ianto on the ground near him. Picking him up out of the water, he cradled his body, wondering if just once he could use the curse he'd been given to save someone who actually deserved it. He glanced behind him and saw Lisa moving away for the moment. He turned back to check for a pulse, and found one, but it was very weak. Closing his eyes he tried to find the vortex inside himself, hoping to pass some of it on. Leaning forward he kissed Ianto, praying that it wound work. For a moment nothing happened. Suddenly, something in Ianto responded and Jack felt like the vortex inside him was on fire. His entire body sang with the energy flowing between them. Jack had managed to bring people back before, but never like this. For a moment, the world seemed to stop and all he could see or feel was Ianto. He didn't even register that Ianto was kissing him back until he woke up and pulled away from him slightly. As Jack looked down, he saw that Ianto's eyes were pure gold and glowing. That's never happened before either. They stared at each other for a moment, and then Ianto closed his eyes. When he opened them again they were blue.

"What did you do?" He whispered. Jack wasn't really sure.

A crash pulled them out of the moment and they scrambled up and ran towards the med bay.

Jack saw Lisa searching through the medbay cabinets. He could only assume that Owen and Gwen had hidden somewhere nearby.

"You know that it's no longer her right?" Jack asked as they moved closer.

"I do. The girl I loved died at Canary Wharf. That thing is just wearing her body." Ianto responded flatly.

Suddenly they heard a loud clang and Lisa turned towards the sound. Owen and Gwen emerged from a cabinet door and slipped out quickly.

As Lisa started towards Gwen, Owen floundered around for a weapon on the instrument tray since his blaster is back in the drawer. He grabbed a long screwdriver and seeing no other option, stabbed Lisa in the stomach. She howled an metallic groan as she collapsed against the wall. Her eyes closed and all was quiet for a moment.

Jack and Ianto ran over only to hear Gwen bitching at Owen for snogging her in the cabinet.

"One last kiss for the condemned man!" Owen crossed his arms "Little embarrassing given we haven't been killed. What? It's not like I fancy you or anything."

"I was on top of you. I could feel your hard-on."

"Yeah, well, you didn't exactly struggle, did you?" He winked at her.

"Alright kids enough hair pulling. Everyone alright?"

Ianto knelt in front of Lisa as if to say goodbye.

"It was kill or be killed mate. We didn't have a choice." Owen put a hand on his shoulder.

Lisa's eyes suddenly sprang open. Ianto backed away from her and Jack realized they need to get out now.

"Everybody move. Get to the lift!" Ianto stood frozen. Jack grabbed his arm. He blinked and began to follow.

Lisa pulled the screwdriver out and followed close on their heels. Jack hoped that Tosh had, had enough time to get the backup power online or else this is going to be a short escape. Seeing Suzie's blowtorch, he grabbed and lit it. Jack motioned to the others to get on the lift behind him. He held the blowtorch in one hand and grabbed a squeeze bottle in the other. Lisa stopped at the sight of the blowtorch.

"That's right. Stay back. This will at least give you heartburn."

"The power will run out. This unit can wait," she replied.

"Give her a chance to surrender. She's still human," Gwen pleaded.

"Not a chance. If anyone should have a say here it's Ianto."

Ianto stared at him and then at Lisa for a moment. "I trust you Jack. That isn't Lisa," he said quietly.

"What is that stuff?" Asked Owen staring at the bottle in his hand.

Jack squeezed the contents of the bottle onto Lisa. "Kind of a barbecue sauce. It helps it identify its food."

"Helps what identify its food?" asked Gwen.

Jack turned the blowtorch off and put it down. He joined the others on the slab and glanced at Ianto. "I'm sorry." Ianto didn't respond, his eyes were fixed on Lisa.

Jack pressed some buttons on his wristband. The Pterodactyl screeched above them and flew out of opening near the ceiling. It swooped down in front

of Lisa and attacked her. Lisa punched it but the pterodactyl didn't stop. As it continued to attack her, the lift turned on and began to ascend.

Once they reach the top, everyone stepped off the platform. Ianto stood there stunned.

Toshiko ran across the Plass to meet them at the base of the water tower. "It worked!" she said slightly out of breath.

"Of course it did," replied Jack. "And we even had time for some Bar-B-Q," he added cheekily in a southern drawl.

Ianto rounded on him, and punched him in the face so hard he fell to the ground. Jack looked up in disbelief only to see anger, grief, and frustration boil in his eyes.

"You fed her to the pterodactyl like she was a piece of meat, of garbage. I trusted you to do the right thing, and you butchered her. How many times does she have to die for Torchwood Jack? How many times do we have to kill someone we love to save the rest of them." Tears of frustration swam in his eyes as Ianto stared down at him.

Jack stood, angry at Ianto for not understanding. "It was the only thing that would stop her!"

Toshiko decided that this was a good time to interrupt. "Listen, when I was at reception, I managed to trip the lockdown timer. The power should be coming back on any second. We can get back in."

As soon as Ianto heard her, he started running for the hub. The rest of the them looked at each other before chasing after him.

He reached the door and ran inside. By the time the others arrived a moment later, Ianto had found his spare gun behind the counter and was moving to head back into the hub.

"Ianto! Stop!" Jack yelled at him trying to diffuse the situation.

"No."

Jack stared at him in disbelief, hand on his gun. "What did you say?"

Ianto turned to him, calm now, but grief visable on his face. "I said no. I am going in there, we can't take the risk that she survived and will upgrade again and make herself even worse. We'll all go."

"I don't need your opinion! Ianto. You aren't thinking straight. I'll go in and handle this myself. I know what I am doing." Jack moved to push past him and Ianto held him back.

"No Sir. This time you really don't." He Ianto took the safety off of his gun and opened the door. Stopping on the threshold he turned to face them.

"I'm going in, and unless you are going to shoot the lot of us, I suggest you follow me. This has to end tonight and I am too close to this to do it on my own. You might not be the greatest leader, but you are ours Sir. What we need right now is for you to get us through this, and help stop this threat from destroying our base, our home. Can you do that Jack?"

Jack stared at him for a moment, as if weighing his words. "Alright Ianto, we'll do it your way. Everyone, except Gwen, get a weapon. We are heading back in to put an end to this mess."

* * *

They made their way slowly back down into the hub and saw a trail of blood leading into the tunnels. Following it, they returned to sublevel 9 only to find Lisa's body on the floor lying in a pile of blood next to the conversion unit. Suzie's knife was imbedded in her chest, and her neural inhibitor was halfway pried out. Ianto knelt down beside her. Her eyes were open and unmoving. A tear slipped from his eye and Ianto scrubbed it away quickly so that the others wouldn't see. Suddenly she blinked and the sound of guns clicking came from somewhere behind him.

"Ianto." She tried to focus her eyes on his face. Her double voice distorted and almost human again. "I managed to override the programming, but it won't last long. Help me pull it out. If you don't do it, It will just take me again."

He held back a sob and nodded. She reached up a hand to touch his face briefly and whispered, "Goodbye." He smiled at her and reached for the inhibitor. Taking one last look at her face, he pulled it as hard as he could and removed it. Her eyes opened wide for a moment and her body twitched once before going slack.

As he closed her eyes and stood up to rejoin them Jack stepped forward. "You did the right thing."

Ianto turned from her now peaceful face to look at him. Jack was startled by how old and tired his eyes were. "Did I?" he asked.

Before Jack can respond, Tosh stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Ianto in comfort and he held her tight.

* * *

After seeing PC Cooper home, Jack returned to the hub to find Owen finishing the clean up and Tosh getting the systems back online. He stood in the middle of the hub and stared at the tower for a moment lost in thought. Ianto emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray filled with glasses of scotch instead of his usual coffee.

"I figured something a bit more robust was in order." He handed one to Jack with a small smile that didn't reach his red-rimmed eyes.

Tosh and Owen joined them and the four of them held their glasses for a moment. No one spoke.

Jack raised his glass. "To Suzie. Brilliant and misunderstood, we should have seen you were in pain before things got so out of hand. I promise not to let that happen ever again."

"To Lisa," Ianto paused as a solitary tear slid down his cheek. "An amazingly beautiful woman who died at Canary Wharf and didn't deserve to have such a long detour to her much deserved rest. May she finally find peace."

"To friends," continued Tosh. "When things are impossible and the worst is upon us, we can always rely on each other and manage to pull through." She glanced at Ianto and he smiled softly back. They all looked at Owen expectantly.

"Fine," he rolled his eyes at them. "To PC Gwen Cooper. Finest last snog of my life. May her lips and hips find their way back to mine soon."

Jack laughed, Tosh gaped, and Ianto just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"To Torchwood," said Jack. They raised their glasses in salute. Ianto paused for a moment, and then joined them in drinking the toast.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

**A/N: **The next few will skim over the rest of Season 1 and Rhys and the Doctor will be joining the party. Expect things to go a bit more AU from here. Next part on Friday.

* * *

Part 8

Following the incident with Suzie and Lisa, Jack had mandated new security measures for the entire hub. CCTV had been installed on all levels, and new DNA scanners were installed at all entrances to the base. Though Owen had removed Lisa's body and destroyed her implants, Ianto had taken it upon himself to destroy the conversion unit. Jack had left him to it. When he came down to check on Ianto an hour after he left to destroy it, all that remained was a twisted blob of melted metal. Ianto was slumped against the wall with his scratched and bloody hands resting on his knees. His face was stony, but no tears, only sweat marred his brow. Jack had helped him up and taken him to the medbay, only to watch silently as Owen cleaned and bandaged his hands. Ianto had thanked him and gotten back to work re-cataloguing the items retrieved from Suzie's cache into the archives.

"Do you want me to call in a consult for PTSD?" Owen had asked as he cleaned up. Jack had been surprised to hear worry instead of sarcasm from the doctor.

"Let's give him a few days and see how he is. He's already been through so much, at least this time he got to say goodbye."

Owen had nodded in agreement, and his duty to bring it up satisfied, he let the matter drop.

A week had passed. Jack had watched Ianto carefully, and he seemed to be handling things well. If anything, he seemed to have a renewed sense of purpose. Once the conversion unit had been destroyed, it seemed as if a weight had lifted from him. His normal level of snark had not returned, but when he had called Owen an 'insidious lecherous prat' earlier this morning, he had caught Owen's eye and the resulting nod had told him what he needed to know. Ianto was going to be fine. Jack wasn't surprised. He knew that there was a lot more to Ianto than he let on. His actions during the confrontation with Suzie and Lisa had proved that. The look in his eyes after he had disconnected Lisa was all too familiar. Jack had seen it on his own face after losing teammates or lovers on the job or battlefield. It was the look of someone who had loved and lost, and paid the cost for keeping others safe. As young as he was, it chilled Jack to the bone to know that he was at least partly responsible for putting that look in his eyes. Not for the first time, he wondered if he had done the right thing bringing Ianto back into Torchwood after Canary Wharf. He had his whole life ahead of him. He didn't need to be wasting it here with them chasing the scum of the universe.

He heard a throat clear above him and looked up from his musings to see the man in question holding a steaming mug of coffee.

"Thought you might need a little afternoon pick me up." Ianto smiled at him softly and placed the mug and a side of the biscuits that Jack preferred on his desk.

Jack studied him for a moment through steepled hands before coming to a decision. Ianto had avoided him for a week. They hadn't discussed him contacting his sister, or what had happened with Suzie and Lisa. He winced as his tongue touched the corner of his lip. A week now and it still hadn't healed, that was another thing he wanted answers for. He had a hell of a right hook, he would give him that, but why had it not healed? Ianto had picked up his empty mug and the files from Jack's outbox and was about to leave his office. Jack needed some answers, and now was as good a time as any.

"Sit down a minute Ianto." Jack watched him pause and turn back to him. "Close the door. We never had a chance to speak after all that happened. Might as well do it now."

Ianto looked at him a moment and a fleeting look of fear crossed his eyes and quickly disappeared.

"Of course Sir," he said. Cordial as ever. Crossing the room he took a seat in the armchair across from Jack's desk. "What in particular would you like to discuss."

"Well for starters, why the hell didn't you tell me that you were telepathic? I'm not Yvonne you know. No lab rat testing is going to be done here. I have a small bit of ability myself and it might come in handy in the field."

Ianto looked startled. "I didn't realize that it would be an issue. Rhia's the empathic one. I normally only get emotions and base words from her. Mam could communicate telepathically to both of us and it was almost easier then talking sometimes. Since she died, I have never really tried it with anyone other than Rhia."

So it was a family trait then. No wonder he had kept it quiet. It would be another ten thousand years before telepathy became more accepted among humans. Even in his time, ability on the level Ianto had shown wasn't common without training.

"Ianto, you don't have to hide yourself here. I want you to be able to use whatever skills you have to keep yourself and the others safe. If there is one thing we have learned from all this, hiding yourself only leads to trouble." Jack saw the fear flash in Ianto's eyes again and wondered what else he was hiding from him.

"I don't mean that you have to tell me everything today, but if there is something that would put the rest of us in danger, I need to know, what happened with Suzie can't happen again."

Ianto seemed to weigh his words and then looked up at Jack. "I would never endanger the team Sir. You have my word that there is nothing about me that would bring harm to anyone else within or outside of Torchwood."

Jack stared at him a moment longer. His words had been sincere and well chosen, and while they didn't give anything away, Jack knew that there was more to this then what was being said. Still Ianto had never given him any reason to doubt him. Especially when he had stood up to Jack over Lisa. He could have handled it so many ways, but in the end, Ianto had wanted nothing more than to ensure that his voice was heard and that the rest of them were safe. He would let it lie for now.

"Alright. I trust you." Jack saw a look of relief fill Ianto's eyes. "But if there is ever anything you need to tell me, my door is always open."

Ianto smiled at him. "Understood Sir. And thank you."

"So on to other matters. Owen thinks you are going to crack and have a full mental breakdown over Lisa and Canary Wharf. Should I be worried?"

Ianto looked down at the empty coffee mug in his hands for a moment before answering. "I didn't get to say goodbye the first time. I think-," He paused a minute and gathered his thoughts. "I think that having a chance to say goodbye made it real. Now I know that she is gone, and nothing else can harm her. She went out fighting. Destroying that conversion unit meant the end of Canary Wharf for me. Making certain that the technology could never be used again exercised any remaining demons I may have had about that day."

He looked up at Jack, a smirk now firmly on his face. "I think it's safe to say that you can have Owen call off the little men in white coats if you don't mind."

Jack smiled in understanding. When his unit had been annihilated during the First World War, it had taken destroying an entire tank to exercise his pain. Oh yes, he understood how destruction could be therapeutic. The smoldering mess that had been the end of the conversion unit made a lot more sense now.

"Is there anything else?" Ianto was looking at him again, not in fear this time, but in curiosity. Jack stared back at him a moment and watched him lick his lips. Oh _that_.

What was he supposed to say - sorry Ianto - I kissed you back to life and somehow made your eyes glow. Not sure what happened there, but I can't die and the wacky energy inside me might have affected you somehow.

"No not really. Although," He paused. "I wanted to make sure that you were okay - Owen checked you out after that fall and nothing was broken, but I wanted to make sure that there weren't any other residual effects." Jack held his breath a moment waiting for his answer.

Ianto glanced into Jack's eyes for a moment as if deciding how to respond.

"I take it you are referring to the part where you apparently kissed me back into consciousness?"

Jack cringed. So much for subtle. "Yeah about that..."

"Don't worry about it Sir. Apparently we all have our secrets." He smiled at Jack, his eyes sparkling. "Some are just a tad more, _interesting_ than others." Jack opened his mouth as if to say something and Ianto held his hand up. "I don't expect you to explain it to me, but for what it's worth. Thank you."

Jack was stunned. He had just been given an out. He hadn't been asked to explain or make up an excuse, he had been accepted, no questions asked. Breathing a sigh of relief he smiled at Ianto.

"Just like that? You don't have any questions?"

"It would be a bit hypocritical Sir for me to ask you to respect me if I can't do the same for you." He smiled back.

The two of them sat in companionable silence for a moment before Ianto stood. "Well then. These files won't sort themselves. Make sure you review the quarterly budget, can't be too prepared for the Queen."

Jack stood as well and followed him to the door. As Ianto was about to open it, he reached for his hand.

"Ianto, I.." For the first time in a long time Jack was at a loss for words. For some reason he didn't want him to leave, but he wasn't sure what to say to make him stay.

Blue eyes turned towards him. And Jack suddenly felt that same spark of recognition as before pulse through Ianto's hand into his own. His eyes went wide and Jack knew that Ianto had felt it too. Hunh. So it wasn't just him then. But what the hell did that mean.

"I should go," Ianto said, eyes never leaving Jack's face. Jack just nodded, but neither of them moved. All Jack could think was '_please stay'_ and to his surprise he heard a response _'I want to, but I can't risk it'_. Neither of them had said a word. Once both of them realized what had happened, they jumped apart.

"Did you just?" "I've never..." "How the hell did you.." Both of them started talking at once and then started laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

"So that solves the question of whether or not you can use it outside of your family then." Jack gave him a leering grin.

Ianto just raised an eyebrow. "Apparently Sir. But as unnervingly interesting as that was, I would appreciate it if you kept this to yourself and at least attempted to keep your flirt factor out of my head."

"No promises Jones. But I will make a point of keeping this our secret for now. Don't want Owen scanning us both and playing mad scientist to try and figure it out."

"Right. I'll just finish this filing then." Ianto turned to go and stopped cold as Jack sent him another thought, one of hands and lips and filled with promise.

Ianto flushed scarlet, and Jack grinned. "That's harassment Sir. Besides if you were going to do it properly it would be more like this."

He sent Jack an image of the two of them naked in the shower so salacious that Jack's mouth hung open and he felt heat rush through his body straight to his groin.

"I'll just be going then Sir." Ianto winked and left. Jack smiled to himself. Oh yes, Ianto Jones was full of surprises, and he couldn't wait to see what happened next.

* * *

Ianto had removed any evidence of his using the room on sublevel 6, and hadn't been out as Guardian since. After the energy boosting kiss he had shared with Jack, he was more than a little worried that the perception filter would no longer work on him. After his impromptu meeting with Jack earlier today, he made a mental note for the Guardian to avoid him at all costs. If Jack could send him messages telepathically, all it would take was for Ianto to not have his shields up and his cover would be completely blown. Shit. He had been flirting with him too. He had been attracted to Jack since they first met, but other than casual flirting and that one kiss he, no _Guardian_ had shared with him in the warehouse, he had not acted on it. Until now. But Jack was a consummate flirt. He was obviously attracted to Ianto in both his guises, but could he tell him the truth? He wasn't sure. He closed the file drawer he was working on and stopped to think. Flirting wouldn't hurt would it? Rhiannon had been teasing him for weeks now about getting stray images of Jack across their link, so it was obvious that even on a subconscious level he was attracted to the man. But what would happen if he didn't know the truth? Would he be competing with himself? It was all too confusing.

While Jack confused him. Tosh had been brilliant. After quizzing him like mad and demanding to see his wings, she had treated him no different than before and for that he was grateful. They had called Denjiro via telecom and Ianto looked forward to meeting him in person when he arrived next week. He had stepped up his visit, and mentioned that he knew of another of their kind in the area that he would like to introduce him and Rhiannon to when he was in town. Ianto was more than a little stunned. For so long there had only been Rhia and himself. In a few short days, he had trusted Tosh with his secret only to find her handing him a gift. A gift of belonging. A feeling of not being alone that he had not felt since his mother had died. He smiled. Maybe something good had come of the hell Suzie had put them through after all.

"Ianto, can you come up here a minute," Tosh called him over the comm. "There's a woman in reception; I think she's here to see you."

Ianto was puzzled. It was Tuesday; Rhia wasn't due to meet with him for another two days. He felt a surge of annoyance flow over him from her. Apparently she had come early.

"Right away Tosh. I think your right. Rhiannon seems to be doing a little checking up."

Ianto made his way up to the main hub only to see Owen and Jack crowded around Tosh's monitor observing a rather irritated Rhiannon leaning against the tourist office desk with her arms crossed and tapping her foot.

"She's a bit of all right," Owen observed. "A bit curvier then I like 'em. But pretty enough."

"That would be my sister you're ogling there Owen if you don't mind, " said Ianto coming closer to the monitor.

Owen paled a moment and looked back at the CCTV. Jack smacked him on the back.

"Well at least we know that prettiness runs in the family. Too bad she's married Owen. You could have had a chance to date her and heck you and Ianto might even have one day been related."

Owen snorted. "No way in hell would I be related to tea-boy. I don't care if his sister is a pretty bird or no. I'll leave the Jones ogling to you Harkness?"

Jack just smiled at Owen and then gave Ianto his mega-watt grin. "Fine by me."

Ianto rolled his eyes and looked back at the monitor. Rhia glanced up at the CCTV camera and stared into it a moment before putting her hands on her hips and speaking.

"Ianto Jones, If you don't get your skinny Welsh arse up here and take me to lunch, I am going to come down to that secret base of yours and drag you up here myself."

"That's my que." Ianto sent Rhia a quick message that he was on his way up and hurried to the elevator.

As he left he heard Jack talking to Owen. "Scary I tell you. Don't piss off a Jones."

* * *

"'Bout bloody time." Rhia took a step away from the desk to give Ianto the once over before pulling him close in a tight hug. "How are you? Everything alright after..."

Ianto grimaced a moment and then smiled at her reassuringly. "I'm fine Rhia, really. Finally saying goodbye gave me a chance to let go of her. It's finished."

Rhia searched his face and seeing his sincerity, stepped back and patted his arm. "Glad to hear it. That Captain of yours isn't giving you any trouble about contacting me is he?"

Jack chose that moment to make his entrance. The hub door opened and he walked through wearing his great coat, all swagger and charm only to meet a dual pair of questioning eyebrows.

"Wow I thought one Jones was intimidating but two? Shivers down my spine." He smiled at them both and walked forward, taking Rhiannon's hand.

"Captain Jack Harkness. I take it you are the lovely Rhiannon." He kissed her hand and released it. "Thanks for helping save my team."

Rhia stared at him a moment and a look passed between the siblings. "Is he always this much of a flirt?" she asked Ianto looking Jack up and down.

Ianto chuckled. "This is tame. You should have seen him last month when the Jamardians came through."

Rhia rolled her eyes. "The inter-galactic sex traders? Gods, did you have to hose him down?"

Jack looked back and forth between the two of them. How the hell did Rhia know about Jamardians? And why were they ignoring him. Normally the patented Jack Harkness charm won people over in seconds. Apparently the Joneses were made of stronger stuff. He cleared his throat. "Excuse me, not polite to ignore the boss when he is still in the room."

They turned to him with identical half smirks of amusement. "Sorry about that Jack. Anything I can do for you? Apparently Rhia and I are heading out to lunch."

Jack was about to say something when Rhia interrupted him. "I drove out here from Newport especially. This one seems to think that shielding his emotions is going to make me stop worrying about him." She turned to Ianto with her hands on her hips. "For God's sake Ianto, I don't care how big bad warrior man you are, you still have to take care of yourself."

Ianto rolled his eyes. Rhia just continued to rant. "Let me guess, been too busy the last couple of days to remember to ingest anything other than coffee and an occasional biscuit?"

Ianto's eyes narrowed. "Rhia, time and place. We've been over this before, I don't get as hungry as I used to. Just leave it."

Jack thought over the last week. Ianto hadn't eaten much. Sure he'd ordered take-away for the others, but other than taking a small bite here and there, he really hadn't taken much for himself.

"And you, Mr. swishy coat-ness." She turned to Jack. "Aren't you supposed to notice when one of your team is working so hard they're about to drop? Twice this week I have felt him near exhaustion, and he just keeps going. I realize you have had some severe trauma to your staff, but you need to take a hard look at what your remaining staff are doing to keep things running. It might be time to man up a bit and bring on a few more able hands before you lose those you already have."

* * *

Down below in the hub, Tosh and Owen had watched Jack get a dressing down in silence. "She is scary," commented Owen.

"True," replied Tosh. "But she's right, we could use the help."

"Right. I was going to suggest PC Cooper to Jack this afternoon." Tosh looked at him.

"What? I can think with something besides my cock Tosh. PC Andy would be a better fit, but Gwen has seen too much to be left to her own devises. Chasing after Suzie got her into trouble in the first place, and while her tenacity is admirable, she's more of a liability outside of the team then in it."

Tosh blinked. "Who are you and what have you done with Owen Harper?"

Owen smirked back at her. "Trust me, I won't let it become the norm, I have worked too hard on this snarky persona to let sensitive Owen back out thank you very much."

He turned with a wink to walk back to the medbay, and Tosh just shook her head and returned to the screen.

* * *

Jack had, had just about enough of Rhiannon's telling him how to run his team, when Ianto stepped in to intervene.

"Rhia, there is a lot that goes on here that you don't know. We have to be very careful who we bring on and I am sure that Jack has been working very hard to find additional staff that are the right fit. Right Jack?" Jack just looked at him.

_'You owe me for this one Ianto, and I plan to collect.' _He sent to him. Ianto raised an eyebrow._ 'Understood Sir. She's only protecting her own and I have a sneaking suspicion that includes you by default so just go with it okay?'_ Jack nodded.

Rhia looked between the two of them. "Oh don't tell me. Coat-boy is telepathic too?"

Jack smiled at her. "A little. Not nearly as good as Ianto though. We just figured it out this afternoon. But I plan on testing it out _extensively_ as soon as we get an opportunity."

Ianto blushed. Jack leered. Rhiannon threw up her hands. "Right. Bloody Torchwood. So judging by the level of sexual tension that just ratcheted up in the room, gross by the way, I _am _your sister, we should head out to lunch before this goes somewhere that causes my head to explode."

Jack laughed. "Take the rest of the day off Ianto. You've more than earned it; we can handle it until tomorrow."

Ianto started to protest, but Jack held up a hand to stop him. "I Insist. Besides, if I don't let you go, I have a feeling that image of me being kicked in the balls that your sister just sent me might come true."

Ianto looked at Rhia is disbelief. Rhia ignored him and smirked at Jack. "Glad we understand one another."

She glanced back up at the CCTV. "Take care of your team Jack. Ianto's not the only one that needs looking after." Tosh smiled.

She turned her attention back to Jack. "I know you have secrets, all of us do, but don't let them get in the way of leading them." She looked to Ianto a moment and then back to Jack, taking a step forward she took his hand in hers. "Promise me you'll do your best to protect them, that you will do everything you can to keep them safe."

Jack looked down into her eyes and felt a softer version of the pulse he had felt from Ianto course through him. This was soft and comforting like a warm hug. At that moment he could deny her nothing. "I'll do my best," he answered. He received a wave of thanks in response before Rhiannon released his hand and turned to her brother.

"Right so that's settled then. So Ifan, you have the rest of the afternoon free. How about you take your sister out for a meal and then show me around Cardiff a bit before I head back to the land of dance recitals and mini-vans."

Ianto held out his arm. "As you wish little bird. Shall we go?" Rhiannon beamed at him.

Jack watched the two siblings with amusement as they headed for the door. At the last moment Ianto stopped. "By the way, Owen has a proposal for you about PC Cooper. Listen to him Jack; it might not be such a bad idea."

Jack nodded. Rhiannon turned back and waved and they were gone.

* * *

After they left Jack headed back into the hub only to find Tosh laughing into her tea.

"What?" he asked, hands on his hips.

"Nothing. I never thought I would see the day that Jack Harkness was ordered about in his own base by a woman half his size." Tosh snickered into her tea some more.

Jack stopped a moment. Dammit she was right. Rhia had managed not only to get Ianto a day off, she had gotten him to promise to hire more staff and protect the ones he had. How the hell had that happened? He shook his head. Joneses. He wasn't sure if he would ever figure them out.

"Well she did have a point," he smiled at Tosh and she shook her head before turning back to the translation program she had been working on before Rhiannon arrived. "By the way. Nice to see that the lip finally healed."

Jack touched his lip. She was right. He sighed. He really had to ask Ianto about that when he got back. Shaking his head he walked towards the medbay.

"So Owen, About that proposal you have for me..."

* * *

Worlds away on outskirts of the Dracian Nebula, a communication stone began to glow. A low chime filled The TARDIS, alerting The Doctor to its presence.

"What's that then?" Martha asked, glancing towards the purple stone glowing softly near the view screen.

The Doctor just stared at it. "Can't be. They're dead. Their planet's been gone for ages. Although…" He paused a moment as if lost in thought.

"Although, what Doctor?" He suddenly smiled.

"Irina, Oh she was brilliant! Doctor, Scientist, Warrior, you would have loved her Martha. Very women's lib that one. She must have gotten them off world in time. Has to be. But it's been millennia. Why now?" He stopped again and stared at the stone.

"Only one way to find out."

Reaching for the stone he pressed it, and the message began to play.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

**A/N:** In which Ianto meets Denjiro, the Doctor has a Star Wars moment, and a lads night out has interesting results. This was originally going to be Friday's update. But I finished it early. Next one should be Friday night or Saturday morning at the latest.

* * *

Part 9

Gwen had been with them for a little over a week now and seemed to be settling in. Jack had been initially worried that her encounter with Suzie might have colored her view of Torchwood, but it seemed she had decided to take the good with the bad and thrown herself completely into her new role as police liaison. She'd been on a few cases already and though she was a little green when it came to dealing with the aliens, her decidedly more human approach to investigating had brought a unique perspective to the team. She and Owen still bickered, but it was more flirtation than anything else. Apparently she had a live-in boyfriend who worked at a lorry company. Hopefully Owen would dial it down a bit and leave her be. It was good to know that she had some semblance of a life outside of the hub. He'd asked her to make sure that she didn't let it drift. It was far too easy to let Torchwood become everything and forget what they were fighting for. He sometimes wished he had that himself.

Jack reread the first paragraph of the UNIT report in front of him for the fifth time and gave up. He couldn't concentrate. After what had happened to Estelle with the fairies, he had wondered if it was worth it for him to even attempt to love again. He didn't want to feel the heartache that came with losing anyone else. But even with the pain, the loneliness of being by himself was starting to wear thin. Maybe he just hadn't found the right person. He had felt a connection with Guardian, but he wasn't sure it was anything other than the novelty of kissing a man with wings drawing him in. Ianto though…with him something inside him seemed to stand up and take notice when he walked into the room. No pun intended. They'd been flirting more and more, especially since they had discovered that they could send each other images telepathically. So far nothing physical had come of it, but he knew it was only a matter of time. It was all he could do to keep his hands off of him. But was he ready for it?

"Good report?" Jack looked up to see Ianto leaning against the door frame of his office. Jack almost blushed and hoped that he hadn't read his thoughts. Shields Jack. Get…a…grip.

"Rift's quiet, Owen and Gwen already left. Tosh and I are heading out to dinner. Her cousin's in town from Tokyo." Ianto tilted his head to the side. Jack looked at the man in front of him. He'd worn the black and red pin-striped suit today with the red shirt. Gods he looked edible in red.

Ianto raised an eyebrow when he didn't respond. "Are you alright Sir? You seemed a little...lost in thought when I came in…"

"I'm fine. Just contemplating our new hire, the universe, and reviewing the UNIT report," he stood and stretched trying to still his mind from contemplating pulling Ianto to him by the tie and... Keep it cool Jack. Relax dammit.

Ianto gave him a half smile and Jack caught a stray thought about testing flexibility and smirked at him. Good so he wasn't the only one contemplating their next move.

"I am pretty flexible thanks for asking." He smiled at him.

Ianto closed his eyes and cursed himself. "Dammit Jack. It was amusing at first, but the novelty has worn off a bit. Stay out of my head."

Jack took a step closer and stopped. He really didn't want to fight with Ianto. He could think of a lot of other things that they could be doing.

"You're broadcasting. Normally I can block people when they do that. Especially it it's Owen being a twat. But with you it's getting harder to concentrate." Ianto had his eyes closed and a flush covered his face and neck. "Jack please…"

Jack reached up and touched the side of his face. "I'm sorry. I'll stop. Unless you don't want me to?" Ianto eased out of the door and moved towards him. Jack looked at him hopefully.

Ianto's eyes opened and stared into his. "That's the whole problem Jack. I don't think I could stop you if I wanted to."

Jack smiled and rested his other hand on Ianto's hip. "So you don't want me to stop then?"

Ianto closed his eyes again, mouth open and breathing heavy. He leaned forward until his forehead touched Jack's and growled out, "No."

Before Jack could respond, Ianto had wrapped his fingers around the back of his neck and was kissing him with a depth of passion so intense, Jack rocked back a step to keep his balance. Before it could go any further, they heard Tosh calling from across the hub.

"Ianto? Are you ready to go? We need to pick up Den, and be there at 7PM. Ianto?"

Ianto pulled back and the two of them gasped for air. His hands moved down to where Jack's arms rested on his waist. "Tosh, reservations, I should…"

Jack searched his face a moment. "I'll just…." He stopped and they looked at each other.

Ianto sighed. _'Tosh is coming.'_ Jack leaned forward to kiss him again. _'I don't care.' _

He moaned into the kiss before pulling back. _'Well you should. Don't want her giving you an earful about taking advantage Sir.' _

Jack chuckled._ 'You kissed me.'_

Ianto raised an eyebrow._ 'I was provoked. Now start talking or you are going to freak her out when she gets in here.' _

"Ianto?" Tosh called again.

"In Jack's office; be there in a minute," he replied.

_'Kiss me again and I'll think about it.' _Jack leaned closer.

"That's blackmail Sir, and I am certain that my shields are much stronger than yours." Ianto spoke out loud moving away from him towards the door.

"Want to test that theory?" Jack gave him a lecherous grin.

Ianto paused and turned back to him. "No. Now if you want there to be a possibility of any of the other thoughts in your head coming to fruition. I would suggest keeping your thoughts to yourself the rest of the evening."

Jack's eyes sparkled and he smiled softly. "Really?"

Ianto smiled back at him, eyes full of promise. "Really. Night Sir."

Jack watched him go and felt his heart flutter a moment. He placed a hand to his lips and smiled. He may not be ready for it, but Ianto had stirred something in him that would no longer be denied. Maybe taking a chance would be worth it after all.

* * *

To Ianto's surprise, Tosh's 'cousin' Denjiro, was much more outgoing then he had appeared over the telecom. He actually looked like a young Hiroyuki Sanada. He had a wicked sense of humor and seemed to enjoy making Tosh smile. He had spent some time in London with Tosh while she was at university, and they had been flat-mates. Though his family had inter-married with humans during the Edo Period, every couple of generations the Aderyn genes found dominance and one of them would be born without a trace of human DNA. Some of the others showed lesser traits of their heritage, like Tosh and her affinity for understanding technology, but he had been the first full Aderyn born since the early 1600's. Born in 1751, he had trained as a samuri under his father. His great-grandfather taught him to control his affinity for air, but as one of the elders of the original Aderyn expedition and nearing 5,000 years old, he had been very frail. He had passed on last year, and bequeathed Denjiro the air stone, designating him as the heir to their bloodline.

"Can I see it?" He had been curious since he had first mentioned it. When Denjiro pulled a necklace from under his shirt and held out the quarter-sized medallion with a diamond in the center, Ianto gasped.

"What is it?"

Ianto didn't answer. Instead he reached up and pulled a similar medallion out from inside of his own shirt; his with a topaz stone.

"But how? What do they mean? Tosh held a hand out to examine Ianto's.

"I'm not sure. Mam gave me this when I was little. Rhia has one as well. Hers has a sapphire." He reached to take it from her and contemplated it a moment before placing it back inside his shirt. "She told us that it was very important that we never take them off. Something about bloodlines and destiny, but I was only six at the time. I don't really remember. Maybe Rhia would?"

"Grandfather told me that the heir to our bloodline must always have the stone. The type of stone seems to denote the element of affinity." Denjiro hid his away again as well.

"My friend who we will be meeting later on this evening is older and has an earth affinity. We should ask him and see if he knows more."

Ianto agreed. He was troubled. He knew there was more to this. He just hoped that Rhia or this friend of Den's had some answers.

* * *

Later that night after dropping off Tosh at her flat, Ianto and Denjiro had changed into more casual clothes and flew to the top of the Capital Tower where they were to meet Den's friend. They landed softly at the far end of the building where the shadows of the penthouse hid the maintenance access level of the roof. Denjiro folded his white and gray wings back behind him so that they didn't reflect the light and Ianto followed suit. A few minutes later they were joined by another man who landed with grace belying his robust frame and a pair of brownish-black wings dark enough to stay hidden in the half-light of the streets below. As the two friends embraced in greeting, Ianto felt a sense of foreboding as recognition dawned.

"Ianto this is my good friend Rhys ap Gruffydd, or as he is known today Rhys Williams." Rhys clasped arms with him hands to elbows, in the traditional Aderyn greeting. He smiled at Ianto hazel eyes twinkling. "So Den here tells me you work at Torchwood with my Gwen. Small world eh?"

Ianto shook his head chuckling. "So you know about Torchwood then? Does Gwen know about us?"

Rhys laughed. "Hell no. She has no idea. Met her at college. Well, this round of college anyway. Love at first sight. She sees me as dependable, loyal, an animal in the sack, (he winked), and decidedly normal. Might have to tell her someday though. We're leaning towards the long term, and I don't think she would take too kindly to finding out one night that her would be husband has a pair of giant wings on his back."

Ianto grinned. He couldn't help himself. Rhys had a way about him that made you instantly like the man.

"No she might shoot first and ask questions later. Then I'd have to haul Rhia out of bed to heal you and having three of us in the room might make her even more trigger happy."

Rhys grinned back before turning serious. "So it's true then? Den here mentioned your sister with water and you time?" Ianto nodded and Rhys shook his head.

"Bloody hell. There's been so few of us in the last 500 years. All of the elders keep dying off. There's a lot to be said for our lifespan, but even we don't last forever. Other then you lot, and Aleta down in Peru, I haven't seen more than a handful of us in decades."

Denjiro pulled out his medallion. "A question for you my friend. Grandfather gave me this before he passed on. Have you ever seen one before?"

Rhys looked startled and he reached to touch it before pulling back and answering, a wary look on his face. "My Tad has one. Calls it my inheritance. I'm turning 810 next month, and he's planning on giving it to me then."

Ianto and Denjiro looked at each other.

"What's this all about you two? His is different anyway. Tad's has an emerald rather than a diamond."

Ianto sighed. "Look I don't know you all that well yet, but I think something is going on here." He pulled out his own medallion and Rhys's eyes went wide.

"Okay, that is more than a little strange. Does your sister have one as well?"

Ianto nodded.

Rhys ran his hands through his hair and started to pace. "So each of you is an heir to their particular affinity based bloodline?" They nodded. He stopped pacing and turned to face them. "But two in one family? That's odd. Who was your Tad?"

Ianto's eyes clouded for a moment. "He died before I was born. I never knew him. Rhia was two. She doesn't remember him either."

Rhys looked at him sympathetically. "Sorry mate. This is a lot to take in." He sighed. "Now all we need is fire and we'll have all five of us in one place. That hasn't happened since Talfryn fell. That can't be coincidence."

"But what are they for Rhys?" Ianto asked. "What do they mean?"

Rhys shook his head. "I really don't know. You time lot are supposed to be the ones who can see timelines. Aren't they telling you anything?"

Ianto shook his head. "Not about this. I know that we were all supposed to meet, and when they pulled me into the past, they mentioned that in the 21st century the guardians would rise again. They gave me this riddle-filled poem too, but it hasn't been much help." He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Do you think your Tad might know something?"

Rhys looked skeptical. "He's getting on in years. Some days I don't think he knows where he is let alone what planet he's on."

Denjiro turned towards them. "This birthday celebration, I am assuming that since he is passing the medallion on to you that there might be some of the remaining elders in attendance. Do you think they could help?"

"Possibly. I know that Etienne is due back from Cameroon then. He's been managing the chronicles for the last couple of centuries. He'll be our best bet."

"Then I will stay until we solve this. I don't think Tosh will mind, and I wouldn't mind getting in a sparring match or two if you are up for it."

Rhys rubbed his hands together, a maniacal grin on his face. "Sounds good to me. Saturday work for you lot? I need to head back in tonight. Have to play the daft sod a bit so she doesn't think this was more than another lads night out. With Banana out of town for the next two weeks, she might be a bit suspicious."

"Can't have that can we?" Denjiro smacked him on the back. "Seeing as there are three of us 'lads' here, no reason why we can't make it a real lad's night out then. Besides, it would give Ianto here a reason to know you if Gwen asks, and an excuse to get him drunk and quiz him about that Captain of his."

Ianto gaped at him. "He isn't my Captain than you very much."

"That's not what Tosh said. She saw you two at it before you left this evening," said Denjiro with a grin.

Ianto blushed and his mouth opened and closed. "Okay so maybe he kind of is. It's new yet, so leave it okay?"

Rhys eyed him up and down and smiled at him before clasping him on the shoulder.

"You look like a man who could use a lager. None of the sake shite that Den likes. Tastes like sugar water and fills your head with jackhammers in the morning. Look I don't care who you're kissing as long as it isn't Gwen."

Ianto gave him a lopsided grin. "Alright then, the last time I got seriously drunk was before the London Blitz. Let's make this one count."

"You're on. Besides the Cardiff Blues are playing tonight, if nothing else we can cheer on the lads and knock around a few hooligans. Should be a grand night out."

They exchanged grins and spreading their wings leapt off the building into the night.

* * *

The next morning, Gwen heard a groan and cursing in what sounded like Japanese coming from the living room and grabbed her gun. Rhys hadn't come home last night and she was on her own. She crept her way down the hallway taking off the safety and keeping to the shadows. When she made it to the living room, it was all she could do not to laugh. A pile of pillows and blankets made a sort of nest in the middle of the living room floor. Piled in the middle were Rhys, some Asian bloke, and wait was that Ianto?

"Rhys?" she asked, nudging the sleeping man with her foot.

He grunted before responding. "What? Put the wings away you tossers! No more sake you'll wake Gwen."

She smiled at him. They must have had some night to end up in this state. She tried again this time with Ianto.

He cursed something inaudible in Welsh before responding. "Bloody hell woman! Do you know what time it is?" And then promptly going back to sleep.

Gwen put her hands on her hips. It smelled like a brewery in here and where the hell had all these feathers come from? They better not have destroyed her pillows. She walked to the kitchen and found a pot and a wooden spoon. Standing behind the couch and out of harms way, she started to bang on it.

Three things happened at once. Rhys bolted upright and reached towards his belt as if looking for a sword. Finding none, a dagger quickly found it's way to his hand from his boot, the Asian bloke flipped off of the ground to his feet, hands and what looked like a short samurai sword at the ready, and Ianto had jumped up, his gun pointed at the pot. The three of them stood back to back as if ready to take on all comers. The room positively hummed with energy and Gwen stared at them wide-eyed a moment before speaking.

"I take it you lot had a good night out then?" She asked shaking her head. They turned to each other and then back to her before relaxing a bit and putting the weapons away. The room suddenly felt much calmer. "Mind introducing your friends Rhys?"

He gave her a small smile before wincing and holding his head. "This is Ianto and Denjiro. Ianto here works with you I think. Denjiro is here visiting his cousin." He turned to him. "What was her name again? Tosh?"

Den nodded and bowed. "My apologies Miss Cooper. It would seem that the Welsh cannot handle their sake." At the indignant looks he received from the two men, he just shrugged. "What? We had five pints each first. It is not as if you can say I made you drink it."

"He's got a point there Rhys." Ianto sat on the couch head in his hands. "Mind you, the jackhammers though. You weren't kidding."

Gwen glanced to the kitchen table littered with empty sake bottles. "You drank all that and five pints? How are you even conscious?"

"Must be in the genes love," Said Rhys with a wink that turned into a grimace. "Ianto here is going to make us some coffee before they head out." Ianto glared at him.

Den got out his phone. "I should call Toshiko. Ianto, do you not have work in an hour?"

Ianto groaned and got up to move towards the kitchen. "Gwen would you mind driving in together? I can't be arsed to go home. I'll just shower at work and hope I have something clean in my locker."

She patted him on the shoulder in sympathy as he passed. "Sure thing love. Besides, I get the pleasure of seeing you stumble in hung over to work. Owen will never let you live it down. Good thing Jack has us scheduled for that road trip to the Beacons today. You can sleep in the SUV."

* * *

_Meanwhile Somewhere on the outskirts of the Dracian Nebula_

The Doctor and Martha watched as the stone projected a holographic image of a woman in a white summer dress and flip flops. Her curly brown hair hung down past her shoulders, and a pair of azure blue wings rested on her back. The image was life size and stood in front of them. Martha was suddenly struck by the fact that the pupils of her eyes were brilliant blue and almost seemed to glow despite the transparency of the projection. The Doctor paused the message with his sonic screwdriver.

"She's beautiful. What is she?" she asked the Doctor, fascinated.

He stared at the image, sadness in his eyes. "She's Aderyn. I fought alongside them at the Fall of Arcadia. Their planet, Talfryn, was the staging ground. In the end both planets fell and those of us left retreated to Gallifrey."

"But you said they were gone? How is this just getting to you now?"

"Not sure. Wait a minute. She's wearing 21st century Earth clothes. That's odd." He pulled out his glasses to take a better look.

"Irina was always clever. We shared a common ancestor, Time Lords and Aderyn. One of the few species that the High Council would actually listen to as they were considered our cousins of sorts." He paused again, contemplating the serene face in front of him. "Let's see what she has to say." He turned it back on.

The image of Irina began to speak. "Greetings Doctor. I despair that this message cannot be given in person. As you may have guessed, not all of us perished with Talfryn. Those that volunteered for this mission resettled on Sol 3, near Earth year 10 AD. There were so few of us, we tried to blend in, adopting the planet as our own. I can see now why you are so fond of it." She smiled and so did The Doctor.

"Many of us inter-married, and our bloodlines grew thin. Occasionally the Aderyn genes would rule out, and another would be born, but before my children, there had not been a birth in over 100 years." She paused again, and sadness filled her face. "There are so few of us now, less then 30 remain, and the elders are reaching the end of their lifecycle, so it will be up to our children to carry on." She paused as if contemplating her next words carefully.

"The current Earth year is 1989, and we are starting to pick up odd signals on our inter-planetary radar. We had it pre-programmed for known threats, Daleks, Cybermen..." She stared into the distance for a moment before continuing. "This month we picked up a temporal signature. A signature that I have not seen since he deserted during the Time War. Doctor, we are seeing temporal traces of The Master."

Martha looked at the Doctor and saw that his face had gone pale and his mouth hung open. "What?" Was all he said. "That's impossible, he's dead."

"Doctor. You said that the Aderyn were dead too. Maybe you were wrong." He stared at her a moment, and then turned his attention back to the hologram.

"Our technology is not what it once was. We updated it, but it's now millenia old and does have some fluctuations. The signature could be as far out as 20 years or more. The only living time based affinity among us is my six year old son, and he is far too young to be able to pinpoint a signature that faint. Of it's existence though, we are certain." She paused again as if knowing this would be hard for him to accept.

"We recently noticed that we are being watched. At first we thought it was Torchwood. UNIT knows of our existence and has left us in peace. But our contacts within Torchwood assure us that our secret is safe. One of the younger generation narrowly avoided being kidnapped last week. This can no longer be ignored."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed. She was brilliant, that was true, but Irina could also be dangerous when threatened. What had she done?

"To ensure the safety and the future of Aderyn-kind, we have reintroduced the affinity stones. One for each bloodline, to protect them from harm at any cost."

The Doctor's eyes went wide. No, they couldn't have. The stones were the absolute last resort. Without true guardians to wield them...he shuddered.

As if anticipating his reaction, Irina's eyes seemed to be pleading with him to understand.

"I realize that this is a drastic step, but we cannot take the risk that the Master could return and use any of them in his plans. Both of my children carry them. And because of this, I need your help. There are code strings embedded within this message, that will show you what we have found and will hopefully allow you to track the Master. The communication stone playing this message was designed by Elder Tarfin so that if the affinity stones were ever reactivated, only you could find them. The elders have long foreseen a battle coming in the 21st century, one that would cause the guardians to rise again in protection of the Earth. With the stones in play, it is only a matter of time before this comes to pass. But they are still only children, _my_ children. Please Doctor, protect them, help them. I fear that whatever is watching us will come for them soon."

Her eyes turned fierce. "I will sacrifice myself before I let anyone, especially that bastard the Master get near them. My son will be the one that he will want the most. Time is always the key." The hologram turned to look directly at the Doctor, her eyes near tears. "That is why I call upon you, Cousin. Friend. _Time Lord_. Please help them before it is too late." The image lasted a moment more before fading.

The Doctor stared into space a moment before reaching out and plucking the message stone off of the console.

"We're going to help her Doctor, aren't we?" Martha looked at him for a reaction.

The Doctor was starting so intently at the stone, that she wasn't sure that he even heard her. She tried again.

"Doctor?"

He turned to her and grinned. "Well then! Bit Star Wars at the end there. Even so, they do need our help." He tossed the stone up and caught it in his hand before grinning at her again.

"Fancy saving the world Martha Jones?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Review Notes:** Thanks for all of the reviews. They really help set the direction of the story.

Several of you have mentioned that you don't normally like stories where the characters have powers or are more than human, but that this one works for you.

I am really excited to hear that as I am viewing whatever abilities they have as merely an extension of who they already are.

For example: Rhys's affinity with earth made sense as he is loyal, sensible, and down to Earth (literally!), and I think he would be even if he was more than human.

The lads night from last time was a piece of another unpublished story involving a very drunk Rhys and Ianto singing rugby chants on top of a pub speaker and a tussle with a bunch of footie hooligans. I'll post it later on as a sidebar story when I have time.

The Doctor will be back shortly, but first Ianto, Jack and the rest have a few things to deal with, not all of them pleasant, though some definitely are, but necessary to move things forward.

The Master is lurking in the shadows. If you look closely, you'll see that his influence is creeping in the background.

Thanks for reading! This has been a fun foray back into fanfic, and I should have more for you by Monday/Tuesday.

* * *

**Part 10**

_In which the Beacons have eyes, Ianto pushes himself too far, and Jack is stunned. Don't mess with a Sato._

* * *

After a thorough round of teasing, Owen laid off a hungover Ianto and began a new rant, this time about the countryside passing outside of their windows.

"Why the hell does grass have to smell so dirty and damp? It's disgusting."

Ianto's head was still pounding from the sake showdown with Rhys and Denjiro the night before, and Owen's bitching wasn't helping matters. After he started going off about how all people who lived in the Beacons raised sheep, he'd had enough.

"It's so tossers like you have something to have a go at when no one else will offer Owen. Now shut the hell up!"

Gwen giggled. Jack laughed. Owen glared. Ianto didn't care, he just wanted to sleep. Tosh just pulled him against her shoulder to rest his head.

"I blame Den you know." He mumbled. "If he hadn't challenged us to a Wales vs. Japan contest with that bloody sake, I might actually be able to give a shit this morning."

Tosh smiled down at him. "You should know better Ianto. Never go in against a Sato with sake on the line, you'll never win."

"Truer words were never spoken," called Jack from the front seat. "Get some rest back there. We have another hour to go before we reach our destination. If it takes longer, we have camping gear. Probably just a coincidence on the location and disappearances, but we have to check. Should be a walk in the park."

Three hours later after finding a corpse in the nearby woods, someone stealing the SUV, and hiking 4 miles to the village from hell to find it; Jack realized just how wrong his was.

* * *

While Jack, Owen, and Gwen had searched the seemingly deserted village inn, Ianto and Tosh had followed the tracking signal on Ianto's PDA in search of the SUV.

First Tosh disappeared, than Ianto was struck from behind and knocked out. When he came to, the headache from earlier had increased tenfold. He found Tosh beside him, and let out a sigh of relief when he found she was breathing and her pulse steady. Scanning for some semblance of weapon, he found an old ice hook and stood guard over her until she awoke.

"Charming place they've got here." Tosh rubbed her neck wincing as she finally woke up. She checked for her weapon. "They took the guns then?"

Ianto nodded. "And everything else. Judging by the sound reverberations and the air quality, we're pretty deep underground. I'm guessing an ice-cellar. Did you get a look at them?"

Tosh shook her head. "No. Have you found any exits?" She looked around and saw a chute to the right with some light coming through.

"Only that chute there. Seems to be a bit of blood on it though." Ianto looked grim. "That body we found earlier, I am starting to think it was a warning. One we should have heeded."

Tosh didn't answer, but kept looking for a possible way out. There were shoes piled in a corner, and a fridge on the far wall with a bloody handprint on it. She hesitated, but finally decided to open it. To her horror, it was filled with body parts. She slammed the door shut and backed away from it, eyes wide. Ianto saw her distress and moved towards it.

"What's in there?" Tosh was too shaken to reply. "Tosh?"

He moved to open it and she stopped him. "It's full of pieces. Pieces of _people_. Dear God Ianto. I think that we are meant to be food."

She shook so badly that Ianto pulled her to him. His headache receding at the moment as the need to protect her and get the hell out of there took over.

"What about that door? My head is still killing me and I don't have a lot of extra energy at the moment, but I might have enough to blast it open?"

Tosh looked at him, hope suddenly filling her eyes. "Let's try it the old fashioned way first. You might need to take care of whatever is on the other side once we get it open." He nodded and they start kicking and stress testing the door for weakness.

Within minutes a light shown under the bottom of the door and the small window near the top of it opened. They stepped to either side of it, hoping to catch whatever came through off guard.

When the door opened, a frazzled looking middle aged woman with a shotgun entered. Ianto managed to push her to the floor for a moment, before she cocked the shotgun at Tosh and he had to back off.

"Get off. Look at me you idiots. I'm not gonna hurt you!" She rose and directed them to the side of the room. "I'm a nurse. Saxon Initiative certified. Are you injured at all? Does anyone else know you are here?"

"Our friends are in the village," replied Tosh. "We need to reach them and let them know that the situation has escalated. Can you take us to them?"

She shook her head. "I've been sent to collect you. I can't help you," She moved around them and motioned them forward.

Ianto tried to rush at her for a moment, and she cocked the gun again, stopping him.

"It's the Harvest. No one is safe. You have to come with me."

Seeing no other option, they let her herd them out and up into the house. She led them into what once might have been a parlor. Now it had macabre plastic sheeting creating curtains over the doorway leading into what looked like a butcher shop from a house of horrors. Organs lie in jars, bodies hung from the ceiling wrapped in plastic, and they nearly gagged at the stench as they were thrust forward towards the makeshift butcher block in the middle of the room.

Tosh turned towards the woman, desperate to get some answers. "Tell us what these creatures are. Do they look like us?"

The plastic sheeting parted and a sturdy, scruffy looking man walked through. "How else are we gonna look?" He said and the woman laughed.

"Evan there's more out there, up at the inn."

Evan smiled at her. "Not a problem Helen. These two look to be in a good state though. Nice and fit." He reached for Ianto and when he flinched back, Evan punched him in the gut so hard he fell to his knees gasping.

Tosh reached to help him up only to have Evan knock her down as well and begin securing their hands. Helen grinned at them, her shotgun at the ready. He pulled them both back to their feet and walked past them.

Ianto knew that they were running out of time. He needed to do something to get Tosh out of there and fast.

"Get ready to run," he whispered. Tosh stared at him a moment, but she had come to realize that it was better to trust him then to question, and nodded back.

Evan pulled a teenage boy to his feet from the back of the room. "I finally caught the boy. Little shit was back at the inn hiding out with the three who came with this lot."

He shoved the boy to his feet and he whimpered in protest, trying to talk his way out of the situation, but Evan just licked his lips and grinned at him.

"You're just meat. You all are." He pushed him down in front of the butcher block, and left the room a moment only to return with a baseball bat swinging in his hand.

"Meat needs a little tenderizing before you cure it." He smiled again, this time at Ianto, who took a step forward and smiled back at him before head butting him to the ground.

Seeing an opening, Tosh ran out the door, pausing only a moment to look back at Ianto, who was now lying on the ground being kicked and beat repeatedly by Evan.

* * *

Things had not gone so well for the others either. Gwen had a buckshot wound thanks to the trigger happy boy now in Evan's clutches, and she and Owen had been separated from Jack when something or _someone_, had started shooting from the shadows. They were cautiously making their way through the woods to the road in an attempt to find help. They had just made it to the edge of the gravel road, when they heard something off to the left crashing through the trees.

Crouching behind a nearby bush, they saw Tosh scrabble from the trees and run past them towards the road. Gwen stood to shout at her, only to have Owen clamp his hand over her mouth and push her back down.

"She's not alone," he hissed as a Evan emerged from the brush and knocked her to the ground.

As they began to struggle, Owen motioned for Gwen to go right while he crept to the left behind her attacker. He managed to surprise Evan, placing the muzzle of his gun against his temple, stopping him only seconds before he choked the life out of Tosh.

"Get off her or I'll shoot," Owen growled. Evan released her and Owen kicked him away from Tosh.

Gwen untied her hands and helped her to her feet. Tosh hugged her briefly before turning to Owen, tears and dirt marring her face.

"They're cannibals." Her voice was raspy from being choked. "They murdered all of the villagers. We need to get back there. Ianto sacrificed himself so that I could find you."

Gwen stared at her in horror.

Headlights came up the road, momentarily blinding them, and Owen kicked Evan to make sure he didn't try to run. A constable emerged, gun out and ready as he surveyed the scene.

"Everything alright here?" he asked. Evan laughed. Owen kicked him again, and Tosh moved closer to Gwen.

Gwen soothed her. "It's all right Tosh, you're safe. Constable, you can arrest him now."

Evan laughed again. "You gonna arrest me Huw?"

The constable pulled a second gun from his holster and pointed one each at Owen and Gwen.

"That'd be a laugh, my own uncle. If you'll be so kind as to put your guns down." Owen hesitated and Evan smiled at him evilly. Huw cocked a gun at Gwen's head and repeated his request. "I said drop it mate." Owen looked at Gwen a moment and sighed before dropping his gun. Gwen followed suit.

Evan stood up and retrieved their guns.

"Looks like a right feast now nephew. Let's take this lot back to the house shall we?"

* * *

Upon returning to the house of horrors, Tosh quickly scanned it, hoping that Ianto was still alive. Several more villagers had joined Helen during her absence, and she shuddered as she saw them sharpening knives and trying on random jewelry that no doubt came from some of their victims.

"Where's Ianto? What have you done to him?" she asked before being shoved forward into the parlor once more. She tried to stand and Evan kicked the back of her knees until she fell to the floor. Gwen and Owen were shoved forward to join her, and soon the lot of them were on the floor in front of the butcher block.

Evan walked past them and threw the teenager at Owen before reaching back to grab Ianto, now with a burlap bag over his face. He took off the bag and threw him forward. Ianto fell onto his stomach, and as Tosh moved to help him up, she saw that he was bruised, gagged, and bleeding from his temple. She felt instantly guilty as he had been hurt for trying to save her. Holding back a sob, she undid his gag. His eyes flicked over her, looking for injuries and Tosh gave him a watery smile to assure him that she was alright. He glanced to the center of the room and saw Evan pick up a clever from the table before moving to stand in front of them grinning wildly.

"Time to bleed meat. Which one of you should I make into veal first?"

Ianto looked at Tosh. She watched in fascination as his eyes changed to blue-gold and grabbed his hand to steady him for whatever he was about to do. She felt a pulse of energy and the ropes that held his hands fell to the floor. She helped him struggle to his feet, and propped him up as he kept his eyes downcast trying to hold off the pain he was in. As she watched, he suddenly stood tall, squared his shoulders and lifted his blazing eyes to Evan's face. From somewhere behind him, he heard Owen telling him to sit back down, and Gwen sobbing in fear.

"How about me?" he said quietly, staring Evan down.

Evan took a step back. "What the hell are you?"

Ianto smirked at him. "A lot more human than you."

Helen came back in and raised her shotgun. "What the hell is going on here?" she asked staring wide-eyed at Ianto.

"Some of this meat has gone off, time to cut the fat." Evan moved forward, cleaver raised. Ianto stood his ground and grabbed Tosh's hand tighter and time stopped.

* * *

Jack was scrambling from the cellar, desperate to find his team. He had taken the shotgun from the villager he'd cornered in the cellar and all of his shells, but it wasn't much. He was going to need more ammo and soon. He was about to start searching the barn to the left of the inn when he heard Ianto cry out to him.

'_Jack! Can you hear me? Jack please, I can't hold this long._' His mental voice sounded strained, desperate.

"Ianto?" he said out loud.

'_We're in the farm house about a ¼ mile behind the inn. They have all of us. I am trying to hold them off, but I-'_ An image of someone kicking and beating Ianto and a fridge full of body parts flashed through his mind. Jack barely had time to react before Ianto spoke again.

'_Fuck! Sorry, it's getting harder to concentrate. You need to hurry Sir. They are going to kill us and the time bubble is about to crack.'_

Time bubble? What the hell was he talking about? Jack ran towards the farmhouse and saw a small tractor that might give him some cover along the way.

'_I'm on my way, give me about two minutes.' _Ianto didn't respond. Jack closed his eyes and reached for him as hard as he could, but all he felt was pain. At the edge of Ianto's pain filled mind, he felt another presence reach through, panicked and confused, calling Ianto's name. It could only be one person.

'_Rhiannon?'_ He tried to reach through Ianto's link to her and she answered him, though it was very faint.

'_Captain? What the hell is happening to my brother?' _She sounded scared.

Jack grimaced._ 'I really don't know, but I promise you, whoever has hurt him is going to pay.' _Before she could reply he dropped the connection to focus on the task at hand.

Throwing the tractor into gear, he held the shotgun at the ready and slammed through the front door of the house to save his team.

* * *

Ianto saw the cracks start to merge as the time bubble crumbled. Tosh felt his body start to shake as he fought to keep it stable.

"Jack's coming," he whispered through gritted teeth. "If I can hold it another minute, he should be here." He glanced behind him at a frozen Owen and Gwen, and then back to where Evan stood motionless in front of him, cleaver in mid swing.

"If I can't keep it long enough, try to get out of the way and let him come after me first."

Tosh looked at him, and then up at Evan. "Not Happening." He looked at her incredulously as she grabbed the baseball bat from the wall and knocked the cleaver from his hand. Taking up a batter's stance, she danced on the balls of her feet.

"If it falls before he gets here, I am going to get in a few hits before he takes any of us. You are not doing this alone."

The ground began to shake beneath their feet and the top of the time bubble started to dissolve. Ianto watched in horror as first Evan and then Helen blinked. Suddenly it fell apart completely and he sank to his knees.

Evan moved forward and Tosh swung at him, smacking him hard upside the head.

Helen cocked her gun at the both of them and yelled at her to put it down.

Tosh complied and dropped down to check on Ianto. He rolled his head to look at her, eyes still blue-gold and pain etched on his bruised face. "I couldn't hold it Tosh. I'm sorry." His head lolled and hung down in front of him.

Evan stood, cleaver in his hand once more. "Time to die meat." He raised it towards Ianto a second time. Just as he was about to swing towards him, a tractor burst through the front door of the house, Jack at the wheel.

"What the fuck?" yelled Evan.

Jack jumped out, and started yelling and shooting the arms and legs of the villagers, attempting to disarm them before more damage was done.

Evan ran towards him. Jack recognized him as the man who had mercilessly beaten Ianto. With no hesitation, he cocked the gun and shot him straight between the eyes. Evan fell, dead.

Jack kept the gun trained on the villagers and called to the others.

"Everyone alright?" He tossed Owen his phone. "Call the local precinct. I'll hold them off and keep watch until they get here. Oh, and we probably need an ambulance or two as well."

Owen started dialing as Gwen untied the boy beside her. Tosh pulled Ianto's head into her lap. He looked up at her a moment. His eyes hadn't changed back.

"Ianto? You need to…" He closed them again and grimaced a moment before opening them again still swirls of golden blue.

"I can't Tosh," he whispered. "I don't have enough energy to change back. I'm barely fighting off unconsciousness here. I need you to call Rhia. No matter what I don't want to go to the hospital. She can heal me, that's part of who she is, but not here. I need to go home, to Llandeilo. I won't be able to hold out much longer and the others can't see.

Tosh nodded. How in the hell was she going to get him out of there though. Then she had it. The SUV.

Owen interrupted her thoughts. "They're on their way, ETA 30 minutes. Now Tosh if you will move a bit, I need to take a look at tea-boy."

Tosh moved, but kept Ianto's head in her lap. Owen gently probed his ribs and legs, looking for broken bones. When he reached to open his eyes, Ianto spoke.

"Look, your hands are filthy and I know I'm concussed. I'll stay awake, but I'm keeping my eyes closed for now to help stave off the headache if you don't mind."

Owen reluctantly agreed, and started listing his injuries. Four broken ribs, fractured wrist, concussion, possible internal damage to kidneys, laceration wounds, partially sprained knee...as the list went on Tosh's mind was racing. Finally she came up with a plan.

"Jack, we need to get Ianto help faster than they can get here. If Owen and Gwen can keep a watch on the villagers, you could help me move him to the SUV and I can get him out of here now."

Jack looked at Owen. "Can he be moved?"

Owen stared down at Ianto skeptically. "Without a scanner or proper x-ray, I can't see if there is any internal damage. I don't like it, but Tosh is right, the sooner he can get to A&E the better." Jack nodded and handed Owen the shotgun. He retrieved all of the other guns from the villagers and lined them up on the floor beside Ianto. Gwen picked up her gun and joined Owen in keeping watch.

Satisfied they had it under control; Jack ran outside to retrieve the SUV and parked it near the broken front door. Tosh helped Ianto to sit up, and once he returned, Jack reached under his arms and got him to his feet.

"On three, ready Tosh?" She nodded and the two of them each took an arm and started walking him toward the SUV. Ianto felt each agonizing step as he struggled to walk with them. Once they reached it, Jack opened the rear door. He had folded the back seats down to make a makeshift bed for Ianto, including the emergency blankets and a spare sleeping bag from the boot for a pillow. They eased him in and covered him gently.

Ianto felt Rhia prodding him again in concern, and Ianto had just enough energy left to tell her that Tosh was taking him to the Llandeilo cottage and to meet them there before he passed out.

"Take care of him Tosh," Jack said reaching out to touch Ianto's battered cheek and kiss his forehead.

Tosh watched him, realizing that whatever was happening between Jack and Ianto was becoming a lot more than simple flirting. She was about to reassure him, when suddenly Ianto began to glow and the entire SUV filled with light. They looked away for a moment, and when they turned back Jack stared down at Ianto stunned.

There lying in the back of the Torchwood SUV, battered and bruised was Ianto, only now a pair of copper-gold wings adorned his back, and a faint glow seemed to shimmer across his skin. To Jack he looked like a fallen angel, no a _Guardian_ angel. Suddenly it all clicked into place. Why hadn't he told him? He reached out a shaking hand to touch his cheek again, as if to prove he was real. Drowsy golden-blue eyes cracked open a moment, glowing briefly in the dim light and closing again.

"Did you know Tosh?" he asked, hand stroking back the tangle of his short curly hair.

"He saved us from Suzie," she replied. "Gwen was delirious so she doesn't remember. He sacrificed his secret to contact you through Rhia and then stopped Suzie from converting Gwen." Jack straightened up and she looked at him. "What are you going to do?"

He turned to her. "I don't know. I assume you have somewhere to take him where he won't be found out?" She nodded. "Then get him out of here before anyone else sees him. Call me when you are both safe."

He looked back down at Ianto. A mixture of emotions crossed his face before he spoke again. "I'll need to talk to him about this, but not before I know he's alright."

Tosh nodded and closed the rear door. They walked to the front of the SUV and Tosh got into the driver's seat. Jack closed the door and putting his hand on the sill of the open window, looked through it at Ianto resting behind her. Tosh watched him a moment before putting her hand on his.

"He'll be alright Jack. He's a lot braver and stronger than he looks. His family will take care of him, I promise." Ianto whimpered in his sleep and rolled onto his side, his wings curling around him as if trying to protect him.

Jack looked at him a moment longer, before turning back to Tosh, his eyes unreadable. "Call me as soon as you get wherever you are going. I expect a full report within two hours."

Tosh started the SUV and turned to respond. "Will do Sir, but if you hurt him in any way, you will have more than one Sato to deal with, and we protect our own."

Jack released his hold on the window and before he could reply, Tosh hit the gas and drove off towards Llandeilo, Praying to whatever Gods might be listening that Rhiannon was already on her way.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

**A/N:** Many thanks to the fabulous sparking_off for beta-ing. Any mistakes left are all mine. Reviews are most welcome.

Things start moving faster from here on out. You'll see why as the chapter ends.

* * *

**Part 11**

* * *

After forty minutes of driving through the wilds of the Brecon Beacons, Tosh's nerves were shot. Every time something moved, be it a deer, or a rabbit on the side of the road, she experienced another flashback of Evan Sherman smiling at her with his maniacal grin.

Ianto had only woken once on the way there, to give her the exact address for the sat-nav, before promptly passing out again. His ragged breathing pushed her to drive faster, and she drove as fast as she could to outrun the demons of the previous day.

When they arrived at the cottage, Tosh found that the 'cottage' was in fact a two story stone house, situated down a country lane just outside of town, and not too far from the River Tywi. As she turned into the drive, she was startled to see Rhys Williams waiting for her on the doorstep. She'd only seen him on CCTV before, but Denjiro, and of course Gwen, had mentioned him more than once.

As she put the car in park, he moved from his perch on the steps to open her door.

"You must be Den's cousin Tosh then?" he asked and took her hand, helping her out of the car. Tosh grabbed onto it like a lifeline. Seeing her distress, Rhys clasped his other hand on her shoulder to steady her trembling. Tosh looked down a moment and before she knew what she was doing, she fell into his arms and sobbed.

"Ah, adrenaline's worn off then has it? Den didn't say much, just called me and said that you were headed this way and that our Ianto was in a bad way." She nodded into his chest and hiccupped as she tried to get herself under control. He rubbed circles on her back a moment before holding her out at arms length, looking her up and down for injuries.

"You're not hurt are you?" She shook her head and looked up at him, teary eyed and relieved to let someone else be in charge.

"No, but Ianto is a mess. We need to get him inside, "she said as she sniffed and stepped toward the back of the SUV. "He was barely hanging on from the pain, but he still managed to hold a time bubble long enough to protect us from the cannibals."

Rhys, who had been following her, suddenly stopped. "Cannibals? I knew you lot had aliens to deal with, but cannibals? Bloody Hell. Gwen's alright isn't she?"

"Had a bit of a scare with some buckshot in her side, but she was doing alright when we left. Our medic is with her and an ambulance was on the way. She should be fine, but we won't keep you for very long. I am sure she would like to see you after all of this."

Rhys nodded, lost in thought as he followed her to the back of the SUV.

When Tosh opened the rear door, she found Ianto curled into a fetal position, with his wings pulled tight around him. She reached a hand out to him and shook him gently, not wanting to startle him after all they had been through. He jerked awake and flipped into a crouch. His hand held a pulsing ball of energy as he looked about wild eyed.

"You're safe, mate. It's just me and Tosh." Rhys said raising his hands in submission to show he wasn't a threat.

Ianto slumped into a heap and the energy ball dissolved. "Rhys. What are you doing here?" He looked to Tosh over his shoulder. "Tosh you drove to Llandeilo right? I can't hide right now and we can't risk anyone seeing me." His eyes were wide and scared once more.

Rhys reached a hand out and touched his shoulder. The reassurance that he was real seemed to galvanize Ianto. "I was the closest so I met Tosh here to help. My Tad is the caretaker of Newton House up the road, and I was out here checking up on him. He decided a long time ago that if the government was going to maintain the family seat, he was at least going to live on the property until he died. Don't think they planned on that being this long though," he added with a smirk.

Ianto gave him a weak smile in return before shuffling himself to the rear of the SUV. Just this simple motion seemed to exhaust him and soon his eyes were drooping once more.

"Can you walk mate?" Rhys looked at him with concern.

Ianto shook his head and then winced. "Even blinking hurts. Have you heard from Rhia?"

"Den went to collect her after Tosh called him. He sent me here to make sure you didn't try and get yourself upstairs on your own. Something about your sister and plucking me like a chicken if I let you try it. Sounds like a lovely girl. Can't wait to meet her." Rhys shook his head and Ianto laughed only to stop when a fit of coughing overtook him.

"Right, off we go then," said Rhys moving forward. "Whether you like it or not, I am going to carry your scrawny arse upstairs. No arguments."

Ianto sighed, too tired and too sore to argue. He handed Tosh the keys from his pocket and felt himself being lifted gently into muscular arms.

"If you'll open the doors Tosh," Rhys gestured to the front door. "I should be able to take care of the rest." Tosh nodded and led the way.

"Tosh if you ever tell anyone that I had to be carried into my own home, I'll never forgive you," muttered Ianto from Rhys' shoulder.

Tosh stopped and looked at him. "Your secret's safe with me. But after the light show you gave Jack this morning, being carried is probably the least of your worries."

Ianto blinked and then remembered. Jack had seen him. Oh Gods, what was he going to do?

* * *

Rhiannon and Denjiro arrived about thirty minutes after Tosh. Den had broken pretty much every speed limit on the way there, and Rhia had to pry her hands from the dash as she had been holding on tight since they passed Neath. Once the car finally stopped, she mentally kicked herself back into motion and ran inside, needing more then anything to see her brother.

Rhys had placed him in his room on the second floor. He and Tosh had managed to get him into a pair of pyjama bottoms, and had cleaned up and bandaged what they could of the cuts and lacerations littering his chest and arms. His body was covered in bruises and a cut ran from his hairline down his face to the top of his left eye. He was sleeping, but his breathing was ragged and they were certain that he had at least a few broken ribs.

Rhia's hand shook as she reached to touch his hand. Ianto didn't stir and she let out a sob as she heard Tosh quietly enter the room.

"Owen listed off what was wrong with him before we left the Beacons." She crossed the room and hugged Rhia with one hand while giving her a handwritten list with the other. Ianto's wings rustled and he winced in his sleep, coughing again, trying to catch his breath.

"What are you going to do?" asked Tosh. "He mentioned that you could heal him?"

Rhia continued to look at her brother. Tears ran down her face. "I promised to look after him. I promised Mam that I would make sure he was safe no matter what. Oh Gods, Tosh. I don't know if I am strong enough to fix this." Tosh hugged her tighter and Rhia leaned into her shoulder. The two women had become fast friends once Ianto had trusted her with their secret, and Rhia was glad of the comfort.

"Of course you can. That's who you are." Rhys said from where he stood in the doorway, Denjiro alongside him. "Just do your best. We'll all be right here with you. You aren't alone in this. If you need to draw on our strength as well, so be it."

Den nodded his agreement. "We all have our talents, but your water affinity gives you the gift of healing. You must believe in it, make it yours. Your brother needs you Rhiannon."

Still holding his hand, she stood up. Tosh stepped back and watched as Rhys and Den walked to the other side of the bed. The room pulsed a myriad of colours, and all three of them stood as Aderyn over Ianto. Tosh squeezed Rhia's arm briefly and wished her good luck before moving out of the way. Rhys moved to the end of the bed, clasped Rhia's free hand, and reached for Den's who in turn clasped Ianto's.

Rhia took a deep breath and centered herself. "Alright I've only done this once before with Mica when she fell off the swings. I-I don't know exactly how much energy this will take."

She looked scared.

"Just do your best Rhia," Rhys smiled at her in reassurance. "You'll be brilliant."

She nodded and closed her eyes. For a moment nothing happened. And then as Tosh watched, all four of them began to glow a kaleidoscope of colours, and the room was filled with light.

* * *

Jack had been monitoring the progress of the SUV ever since Tosh had driven off. After seeing Owen and Gwen safely back to Cardiff, he had taken the spare key to Ianto's Audi and followed the signal to Llandeilo. He had no idea what he was going to do when he got there. Interrogate him? Yell at him? Kiss him senseless? Jack sighed. He had known that there was something different about Ianto, but he had never expected this. He tried to merge the impressions that he had of both Ianto and Guardian. Both seemed to put themselves at risk for others, both took matters into their own hands rather than let others do the work for them, and both were undeniably attractive. Only one had begun to capture his heart.

In all his time of waiting for the Doctor, he had never considered that he might not be the only one with such a big secret to hide. How had his race never been discovered? He ran over what he had learned at the Time Agency; there were several winged species in the known galaxy, but none that fit Ianto's description, nor any that had his ability to blend in as human. Just what was he? And when he had tried to save him after Lisa, why had every fiber of his being sung in recognition? Jack needed answers, and as he shifted into a higher gear and sped up the M-4, he decided that no matter what, he was going to get them.

* * *

Rhia had spent four hours attempting to heal Ianto, and though most of his injuries were mended, he had not awoken. Worse, she could not feel him when she reached out for him in her mind and she was worried. They had collectively decided that if he was not fully conscious within 24 hours, they would try again. The attempt had taken a toll on all of them and Rhia and Den were too exhausted to change back. Rhys, being older, had just enough energy left to hide his wings, and after assuring Rhia that he would be back in the morning, had left to check on Gwen.

Rhia had thrown together an impromptu dinner of shepherd's pie, bread and ale, while Tosh had showered the horrors of the last two days away and left a message for Jack. She let him know that they had arrived safely, and that Ianto was resting. He hadn't called back and she was concerned that something else had happened to her team. Her concern was short lived however, when she heard a pounding on the front door and Jack's voice calling her name.

Rhia and Den glanced at each other for a moment, before turning back to Tosh.

"Let him in then. He's already seen Ianto, so he might as well get used to it," said Rhia with a sigh. "Bring him in here. I don't want him disturbing my brother. He needs his rest and I'll be damned if Captain Bloody America is going to mess this up."

Tosh nodded and looked to where Denjiro had subtly placed his samurai sword on the bench beside him. Turning to the door, she hoped that for once, Jack would not enter guns blazing, and would at least see reason before Den did him any permanent damage.

Tosh opened the door to find Jack with his Webley out and ready to take on whoever opened it.

"Put that away," she hissed. "It's been a long day here and people are jumpy enough as it is. I really don't think Rhia and Ianto want a bloodbath in the family home."

Jack hesitated and then complied. "Where is he, Tosh? Is he alright?"

Tosh opened the door wide and ushered Jack into the house. He followed her through to the dinning room only to stop short when he saw Rhiannon, and what looked like Tosh's cousin seated at the table. As Rhiannon stood up from the end of the table, he noted the azure wings behind her and the silver and white set on the back of the man seated at her right. He looked at Tosh and she merely shrugged and moved to resume her place on the bench at Rhia's left.

Rhia crossed her arms and spoke, blue eyes blazing. "My brother is resting. We just spent the last four hours trying to heal him, and you shouting is not going to help. Now if you care to sit down, we can discuss how my little brother got hurt in the first place, and what you are going to do to make sure that it never happens again."

Jack blinked and stared her a moment before looking down at the meal before him. He hadn't eaten since the burger stop on the way to the Beacons and his stomach growled. He smiled sheepishly at his hostess and she snorted and shook her head at him.

"Right then. I'm sure you have questions. But frankly I am so tired I can barely see straight. Let's stop your belly from growling and eat like civilized folk. I am sure most of what you have to ask can keep until the morning."

Jack grinned inspite of himself and sat down next to Tosh.

* * *

Later on after everyone had gone to bed, Jack crept through the hallway to Ianto's room. Though he had not asked many questions, they had given him at least a small glimpse into whom and what they were. Aderyn. He still marvelled at the fact that they even existed. They were the stuff of legends. Supposedly they had died with the Time Lords. He grimaced. He knew of at least one Time Lord, and it would seem that history and legend had once again been proven wrong. He wondered if the Doctor knew that they were here, and if it would bring him back. He shook his head. Right now he had more important things then the Doctor to worry about.

Reaching Ianto's room, he silently pushed the cracked door open and looked at the sleeping form within. Moonlight shown down through the window, illuminating Ianto's already preternaturally pale skin and making the shimmer of gold that seemed to hover over it even more pronounced. His back was to him and for the first time Jack saw that there were three distinct markings, almost like Celtic knots running down his spine between his wings. He moved to the other side of the bed and sat in the chair alongside it, watching his chest rise and fall in sleep. His brow crinkled for a moment as if in pain and he reached up to move his hair back from his forehead. Ianto sighed and his face visably relaxed. Before Jack could stop himself he reached down and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. He held them there a moment and as he was about to pull back, he felt it. That same spark that had called to him since the first time he had kissed Ianto. Suddenly the energy inside him seemed to come alive and his blood began to sing with the same power he had felt before. He deepened the kiss and to his surprise felt Ianto begin to kiss him back. He opened his eyes and found Ianto's blue-gold eyes staring back at him.

"This is becoming a habit, Sir," he said, voice tired.

Jack smiled down at him and kissed him again. This time there was no hiding it, whatever life force lie inside of him found something similar in Ianto and the two entwined until the room sang with the power between them. Ianto's hand reached up to hold onto his neck as the kiss deepened.

_'They told me you wouldn't wake up. I had to try.' _

Ianto smiled and kissed him again.

_'It would seem that we both have some explaining to do Jack.'_

Jack pulled back and kissed his forehead, climbing into the bed and pulling Ianto gently into his arms.

"That we do Jones, Ianto Jones. But it'll keep. Right now, all I want you to do is sleep. I'll be here in the morning and we can talk then."

Ianto nodded and drifted back off. Jack heard a sob from the doorway and saw Rhiannon standing there with her hand on her mouth and a tear running down her cheek.

"You were both glowing. He-He's going to be alright now isn't he?" She gulped back another sob. "How?"

He looked at her a moment and then back down at her sleeping brother curled up alongside him.

"I don't know. Something happened to me a while ago. But I want to wait until Ianto can hear this before I say anything else."

She nodded and sniffed before turning to leave the room. Before she closed the door, she called his name. "Jack?"

"Yes, Rhiannon?"

"Thank you. I don't know how, and I really don't care, just thank you for bringing him back to me." He nodded and she gave him a watery smile before closing the door.

Jack turned back to Ianto and held him close. Tomorrow would bring a whole new set of questions, but for tonight, they were safe. He let out a sigh, and for the first time in two days he slept.

* * *

_0600 hours the following morning__ - __Ministry of Defence, Whitehall, London_

"Final schematic coming up now. Valiant to commence signal launch within five. Do you want to do the honors Sir?"

"Thank you Lieutenant." Harold Saxon gave the man an enigmatic smile. "This should make our defences stronger than ever. Your work at converting the technology is to be commended." He turned to his wife.

"What do you think my little firebird? Isn't the name for Great Britain's greatest global satellite achievement appropriate?" Lucy smiled at him in adoration as he stroked the ruby medallion hanging from her neck.

"Seemed fitting seeing as it came from redeveloping the technology of your ancestors." He reached to the command panel in front of him and pressed the launch button, bringing the Archangel Network on line.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer**: BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

**A/N: **Many thanks to the fabulous sparking_off for beta-ing. Any mistakes left are all mine.  
Thanks for so many new reviews! Knowing you guys are reading this helps me to write faster. I have the next part done. It will probably post tomorrow or Sat morning at the latest.

* * *

**Part 12 ****  
**

* * *

_Somewhere in the Time Vortex_

"That's odd. The signal, it just stopped." The Doctor stood up and scratched the back of his head as he stared at the monitor in front of him.

"But how can that happen? She made it sound like you were the only one that could track them?" Martha asked looking over his shoulder at where the monitor's ever-scrolling circles and lines seemed to have stopped in mid-motion.

"But why, why, why would it stop? It doesn't make sense." The Doctor ran his hands through his hair sticking it up on end as he stalked around the console. Rapid-fire thoughts ran through his head and sprang from his mouth in abandon. "Fail safe tracking program, made it across millennia, even across the vortex and the known universe."

Martha watched patiently as he went through the all too familiar process of analyzing the problem.

"It would have to be interrupted by someone, or something, something strong enough to bounce the signal back and cancel it completely."

"But what about that Master person?" Martha stared at him. "We were supposed to help protect them from him. What if he's found them?"

He blinked before moving back to the main console. He brought the signal that Irina had sent him back online and compared it to the signal for the affinity stones.

"Martha Jones, you are brilliant. All traces of the residual signal of the Master disappeared at the same time as the stones did." He stared at the monitor for a moment longer. "Almost like they _blinked_ out of existence," he muttered.

Martha looked scared. She'd had enough with blinking aliens, thank you very much.

"But they didn't, right? I mean they're still out there, right Doctor?"

He looked up at her and then at the front doors of the TARDIS, lost in thought. Suddenly he grinned. "Oh that's brilliant. Perception filter or cancellation of some sort; has to be." He started flipping switches.

"Perception filter?" Martha was getting frustrated. "Doctor, please, tell me what is going on?"

"Right, sorry." He turned the transponder orb and reset the wavelength modulator to trace known satellites in orbit around Sol 3. Turning back to Martha he began his lecture.

"So the signal that the Aderyn were following was based on millennia old technology, yeah?"

She nodded, with him so far.

"That same technology was used to send the message to the TARDIS. But if I look for the origin point now," he flipped another toggle and the monitor brought up a schematic of the Earth, showing a network of satellites pulsing signals across the entire planet.

"Someone has activated a satellite network that is in effect negating the signal. It's actually _shrouding _the entire planet. All external signals are being negated so that it is impossible to track anything within the network. It's brilliant work." He crossed his arms in grim fascination as he studied the monitor. "But if nothing can get out, what is it keeping in?"

Martha looked at the screen a moment before deciding that the swirling circles and lines were meaningless to her.

"Alright, so signal shrouded, I get that. But Doctor, who did this? And how are we going to get past it?"

The Doctor turned away from the screen towards her.

"Martha, who's in charge right now? I mean after Harriet, who's in office?" He looked at her expectantly.

"Dunno really. They were beginning campaigns for a new Prime Minister when I left," she seemed to hesitate a moment. "Some bloke named Saxon was the front runner. Something about bringing Earth properly into her Golden Age. I was gonna vote for him."

The Doctor looked at her and noticed that she looked confused as if she was shaking the cobwebs from her head. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah it's funny though, I don't know anything about him. Just that whatever he stood for sounded good."

He stared at her a moment longer. She straightened her coat and then with a final shake of her head and squaring of her shoulders, seemed her normal self. His eyes narrowed. With the Master on the loose he would have to keep an eye on her and watch for any other symptoms of involuntary mind control.

"Right then. We should get a move on. Looks like we're going to have to chance it and follow the last signal in the system." He reset the coordinates and the TARDIS began to move once more.

"Where to then?" Martha asked.

"Cardiff. Might need to boost the TARDIS's signal finder from inside of the network. There's a rift there, and we might as well boost and fuel at the same time. Oooh I like that – BOOST AND FUEL. Sounds like a café or a spa of some sort." The Doctor grinned at her and Martha just shook her head at him.

"No? Right then. Here we go, Martha. Next stop Cardiff, Wales."

* * *

When Jack awoke, he was surprised to see Ianto standing at the foot of the bed arms stretched over his head and pajama pants riding low on his hips. Putting his arms down, he rolled his shoulders and stretched his wings out from his sides experimentally as if waiting for the pain from the previous day to overtake him again in the process. Once they were fully extended, he stretched his arms in front of him a moment before raising himself up on the front of his feet and grasping onto a rope that hung from a bolt in the ceiling. Holding onto the rope, Ianto tilted his head back and thrust his hips forward, bowing his back to allow his body to flex and stretch completely while he raised his wings high above him.

"That's borderline pornographic you know," Jack smirked as he came to stand beside him. "You could sell videos of it; call yourself bondage angel or something."

Ianto rolled his eyes and shook his head before letting go of the rope and folding his wings back behind him. Jack continued to watch and once he was settled took a step towards him. He reached his hand out to touch Ianto's left wing and then hesitated, glancing at him to see if it was okay.

"You can touch them," Ianto said with a smile. "I don't mind."

Having permission, Jack reached up to touch the coppery feathers. They were softer than they looked and felt like silk slipping between his fingers. "Gorgeous," Jack breathed as he continued to run his hands down them and circled around to Ianto's back.

"Does the color mean anything?" he asked as Ianto spread his wings a bit and let Jack run his hands over the silky feathers.

"We all have different elemental connections. Rhia's is water for example, hence the azure blue."

Jack touched and stroked the warm skin underneath Ianto's primary feathers and Ianto let out an involuntary moan that made Jack grin in response.

"Sensitive are we," he chuckled.

Ianto made what sounded like a purr in response before folding his wings back down to stop Jack from going any further.

"You have no idea," he said huskily and turned around until his blue-gold gaze smoldered at Jack.

Jack licked his lips. He had some idea alright, and he was going to find out, and soon.

"Boys! Breakfast!" Rhia called up the stairs. "Ianto, the groundskeeper is due over this morning so you might want to keep the feathers to a minimum. "

"We'll be right down!" he hollered back.

Jack watched as Ianto closed his eyes and the entire room seemed to pulse for a moment. Quicker then he could blink, it was over and a now human Ianto opened his blue eyes and gave him a soft smile before looking down as if suddenly self conscious.

"Right, shower's down the hall, I'm going to head in first if you don't mind." He pulled some clothes out of the dresser and made for the door. "Not good to keep them waiting. Do you want to head down now and shower after breakfast?" He stopped, finally making eye contact.

Jack took a step forward and gently took one of his hands.

"Ianto, you know I'm not exactly a regular guy. While I admit the whole legendary lost race is a bit of a surprise, you're still you." He ran his thumb over the back of Ianto's hand. "Why don't you clean up so that we can eat some breakfast, and then we can talk and take this a step at a time, okay?"

Ianto's eyes searched his face for a moment as if looking for any hint of deception. Seeing none, he relaxed a bit and Jack saw hope fill his eyes.

"You're really okay with this? You're not going to lock me and my family up, or make me Torchwood's latest asset acquisition?" He needed to hear him to say it; he needed to know that what he had seen in Jack's eyes was sincere.

Jack snorted and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Ianto you have always been an asset, just by being yourself." He leaned forward and brushed his lips against Ianto's in a chaste kiss. "Nothing has changed here. Well, maybe a few things have." Ianto blushed and Jack smiled.

"The important thing is, even with your abilities, and don't think I am not going to be asking you about those, Mister," Jack put on his stern face and Ianto just raised an eyebrow in return. "Even with them, from what I have seen, you have done nothing but use them to help others. I would be a fool to punish you for that. Besides, the wings are kind of hot."

Ianto rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Only you, Jack."

Jack leaned in and kissed him again before turning him and smacking him on the arse. "Now away to the shower with you. Don't be too offended if I send you dirty pictures while you wash."

"For the love of all that is holy, Jack, please don't." Rhia stood halfway up the stairs looking at them in the doorway of Ianto's room. "It's bad enough that this one pictures you naked when he's asleep. If I get it while he's awake as well, there is going to be hell to pay."

Ianto blushed so hard his entire face and neck were bright red. "Right, shower, I'll just…" Eyes looking anywhere but Jack's he skittered down the hall and into the bathroom.

Jack and Rhia chuckled in his wake.

"Breakfast is on, let's get to it shall we. I think we've teased my poor brother enough for one morning." Jack pulled up his braces and moved to follow her downstairs, only to have Rhiannon stop and turn toward him.

"Oh and Captain, show and tell is definitely on the menu so be prepared to discuss last night's light show among other things."

"Yes Ma'am," he replied and followed her down into the kitchen.

* * *

By the time Ianto came down, Jack was deep in a discussion with Denjiro about the ways of the samurai. Shaking his head, he sat down at the opposite end of the table from Rhia and met her eyes over the farm style breakfast spread before them. It had been a long time since there had been so many people in the house, and it felt right.

'_It feels like we have a family again,' _he sent to Rhia, who gave him a warm smile in response.

"Jack called Owen," said Tosh as she sipped her morning tea. "He's monitoring the rift for the day until Jack and I make it back in. He said to tell you to rest up because he's going through caffeine withdrawal and that Starbucks is shit when it comes to making coffee." She smiled at him over the edge of her cup. "I think that's his way of saying get better."

"Any word from Gwen and Rhys?" Ianto asked, reaching for a rasher of bacon.

"Rhys called me earlier," Denjiro answered. "He said she was recovering well from the injury, but seemed distracted somehow, as if something was on her mind."

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Rhys is one of you," said Jack through a mouthful of eggs. "I mean, Gwen is such a ball-buster, how did he manage to keep that a secret?"

Denjiro shrugged. "Rhys has been around a long time, and knows when and who to trust. He mentioned that marriage might be on the horizon. If that happens, he will tell her, there is no way he can keep it secret from a spouse, it just isn't done."

The others nodded in agreement. And Rhia saw an opening to start questioning Jack.

"So, Jack," Rhia began. "You were planning on telling us how you managed to bring my brother back from his coma-like sleep." Jack swallowed. He hadn't told anyone the truth about himself in a long time. He hoped that given the company he was in, this time might go better than the last.

"I can't die. Well that's not true. I just don't stay dead," he looked around waiting for a reaction. Seeing none he continued. "If Ianto hasn't told you, I'm from the 51st century originally. I used to work for the Time Agency, kind of a policeman making sure no one mucked about with time." Ianto gave him a half smile and encouraged him to continue. Jack swallowed. The next part is where it usually got rough.

"Something happened on a mission, I'm not sure what, but they took two years of my memory away, wiped them clean, and I ran. Started pulling cons and stealing, I did whatever I had to do in order to survive." He saw Rhia's eyes narrow and flick to Ianto and he hurried to continue, hoping to defuse the situation.

"It isn't something I am proud of. I wasn't exactly a nice person back then." He saw understanding and was that recognition in Ianto's eyes? He would have to ask about that later.

"I was running a con with a Chula warship in 1941, when I met the Doctor and he changed my life, made me see the error of my ways and he and Rose became like family." He stared in the distance for a moment.

"We ended up on a game station in the future full of Daleks." He heard Rhia gasp. Of course. The Daleks had killed her people just like the Doctor's. "I held them off while he attempted to construct a weapon to stop them and I died." He paused to sip some juice. "But I didn't stay dead. One minute I was dead and then the next I wasn't. I woke up hearing this singing in my head. The entire place was filled with piles of ash. I can only assume that was the result of Doc's weapon. I heard the TARDIS in the distance and ran towards it, but by the time I got there, they were gone."

"So the TARDIS possibly did this to you?" Tosh asked. "Because if what Rhiannon said about you jump-starting Ianto back into consciousness, the TARDIS being involved would make a lot of sense."

Jack looked puzzled and turned to Ianto. "What the hell is she talking about?"

Ianto studied him for a moment. "When you come back, what happens?"

Jack grimaced. "Hurts like hell. It's dark, and then I feel all of this light surrounding me and some kind of singing, and then I get pulled back, gasping, usually feeling the pain of the injury all at once."

Ianto looked at Tosh a moment before turning back to him. "I never told you what my affinity was Jack, and if the TARDIS had a hand in what happened to you, I can see part of the reason why what you did worked." Jack looked at him confused, not understanding.

Ianto smiled and reached for his hand once more. "That song that you are hearing each time you come back, that song is time." Seeing that Jack still didn't understand he continued. "My affinity Jack, it's the rarest one amongst our race. It's Time Jack. The very thing that keeps you coming back every time you die, courses through the very essence of my being."

Jack sat back stunned. "So when I kissed you with Lisa, and again yesterday, that was what? Your time singing to mine?"

Ianto chuckled. "Something like that. Whatever force is keeping you alive is similar to that inside of me. Hence why you were able to bring me back."

"Wait a minute!" Rhia was glaring at her brother across the table. "You mean to tell me you have been hurt like this before?" Ianto cringed. "And you didn't tell me? Ianto what the hell do you Torchwood idiots get up to that you keep being hurt so much?"

"Keeping people safe Rhia. Just like I promised the elders I would." He stood up and walked over to her, taking her hands in his. "We've discussed this before. I have a responsibility; it's part of who I am, of who we all are. If there is one thing that I learned when I was in the past, it's that this planet needs us. There's only one Time Lord banging around out there, and he can't be here all the time. It's up to us to protect them. And with Torchwood, that's what I do."

Rhia sighed. "I know I can't stop you, you're as hard-headed as Mam when it comes to things like this. But you will have to promise me that your vigilante days are over. You get into enough trouble as it is without Guardian in the mix." She turned to Jack. "Just promise me that you will look out for each other? I don't care how many battlefields Ifan's been on, he's still my brother and I trust you Captain to keep him and Tosh from harm."

Jack stood up and moved to take Rhia's hands from Ianto." I promise you Rhiannon, to the best of my ability, I will keep them safe." She searched his face a moment before nodding.

"Sorted," said Tosh. "Now that the morning dramatics are over, Ianto, can you please make some coffee? Rhia's tea is divine, but if I am going to stay awake and not panic while Jack drives like a maniac back to Cardiff, I'm going to need something stronger."

Ianto smiled at her. "Of course, Tosh. Coming right up."

* * *

Gwen was enjoying a lazy day on the sofa. Owen had the Hub in hand, Tosh and Jack were due back this evening after settling Ianto in with his sister for a few days, and Rhys was being a doll, waiting on her hand and foot and making a curry in the kitchen for lunch.

He reached over the sofa and offered her a cup of chamomile tea. "All right luv? Should be another ten minutes on the curry and then after lunch, I was thinking a little more rest, get you all healed up before you go back eh?"

Gwen smiled at him. "Thanks Rhys. You've been wonderful." Rhys smiled back and placing a kiss on her forehead, returned to the kitchen.

Gwen's phone was on silent, but it vibrated on the table in front of her where it lay next to her PDA. Grunting against the stab of pain from the moment, she reached for it, only to see an unknown number.

Shrugging her shoulders, she answered. "Hello?"

"PC Cooper! Lovely to talk to you my dear," came a man's voice.

"Its Miss Cooper now thanks. I'm sorry who is this?" What Gwen really wanted to know was how the hell they had gotten her unlisted cell number.

"Harold Saxon, Ministry of Defense. I realize that this is a rather unorthodox way of contacting you, but I need to ensure that this is handled with the upmost discretion. I have a mission for you, one that Torchwood can't know about."

"What mission?" Gwen was confused, why weren't they contacting Jack about this?

"A mission to investigate potential terrorist threats from within the organization. I fear that Torchwood itself may be compromised." A serious tone had entered Saxon's voice.

"Our team is small, and very loyal to each other. Ianto even served at Canary Wharf and survived it. I'm the newest member of the team, why me?"

"Look at your PDA, Miss Cooper. I think you will find the images enlightening."

Gwen heard her PDA beep and saw that a file was downloading to it. She opened it and her eyes went wide in confusion as the images began to scroll across the screen.

"The man you see in these images is Denjiro Sato, a man known to have contact with numerous munitions suppliers, and a suspected terrorist. I am sure you recognize the other two as your colleague Mr. Jones, and your boyfriend Rhys Williams." Gwen scrolled through the images of Denjiro firing what looked like a lightning gun at some men and another of the three of them standing outside of an alley near the Pig and Wig pub.

"But they went out for a lad's night a few nights ago. Rhys said that they just met by chance," said Gwen.

"Oh aren't you adorable. Trusting your man to tell you the truth," he snickered. "I can assure you, Miss Cooper, he has known Mr. Sato for quite some time." An image of Rhys shaking hands with the Japanese man in front of the London Eye flicked past the screen.

"Ianto met Mr. Sato earlier in the evening through his cousin, Toshiko. We can only assume that she is in on their plot as well," he continued. Another image sprang up of Tosh, Ianto, and Denjiro at dinner. "It would appear that at least two of your team have potentially been compromised. Captain Harkness we remain unsure about, where is he now?"

Gwen swallowed, not wanting to believe what he was saying. "With Tosh and Ianto. He was hurt on a mission and they saw to his recovery. They are due back this evening." She heard Rhys calling that lunch had about a minute left, and lowered her voice to continue the conversation. "But how can you be sure? These just look like a dinner and a pub outing, they look innocent."

"Come, come Miss Cooper. Think about it, has your boyfriend done anything out of character recently? Anything, you know _suspicious_?" Gwen thought about how the three of them had bolted upright and armed when she woke them after their night of drinking. Rhys had been as armed as the other two. Come to think of it, she had never seen him move that fast or even carry a knife before. Maybe Saxon was on to something. She needed to know more and knew that unless she investigated this herself, she wouldn't be satisfied.

"Alright, I'll look into it," she said in a whisper. "What do you want me to do?"

"Excellent." Saxon almost sounded smug. "Keep an eye on them, and let me know if you see anything suspicious. Mr. Sato changed his return tickets this morning, so he should be remaining in the vicinity for the time being. These are dangerous times we live in, Miss Cooper. Trust no one until you are certain of their loyalty. You are doing a great service keeping our citizens safe. The country and I thank you. I'll be in touch." With that he hung up.

Gwen stared at her phone a moment before returning to the files on her PDA.

"Curry's ready lovely lady, do you need help up?" Rhys stood behind the couch looking down at her.

Gwen shut down the PDA. "Sure thing. Just give me a moment," she said, smiling and trying desperately to keep her voice from shaking. He nodded and whistled as he set the table.

Gwen set the PDA and her phone back on the coffee table. Her fingers drummed absent mindedly as she contemplated what Saxon had said. Maybe he was right. Maybe Torchwood was compromised. The Ministry of Defense; no, _Harold Saxon_, was counting on her, and she would do her best to make sure that she found out exactly what they were up to.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

**A/N:** Many thanks to the fabulous sparking_off for beta-ing. Any mistakes left are all mine.  
More reviews helped push me to write faster. I'm going to be out of town for a bit so next update will be on Friday.

All of our players are coming together, expect a confrontation in the next chapter.

* * *

**Part 13 - _The Blue Lady comes to Splott, Time Agents and Death Balls, and Gwen's spy skills need work._**

* * *

It had taken a few weeks for the horrors of the Beacons to fade and for the members of Torchwood Three to resume their version of normal life. The rift had been blessedly quiet for the last month; only a few stray weevils and a couple of lost tourists broke up the routine. Jack was getting antsy, he was beginning to wonder if something was keeping the normal space traffic away as it had been far too quiet. As he stared at yet another pile of reports, he hoped for something, anything to break up the monotony.

Pushing himself back from the desk he walked to his office door to check on his team. Gwen had been quieter since the incident with the cannibals. She seemed to be spending a lot of time working on a research project that she refused to divulge to Jack before she had everything compiled. He'd asked her about it again this morning only to have her put him off for a third time. He'd asked Tosh to monitor her computer usage and ensure that she didn't get into any sensitive files. Thus far she had only researched Ianto which was a little surprising. Tosh had seen her entering Denjiro's name into the criminal database search earlier this morning, and Jack had decided that he needed to let Ianto know that something was up.

"Ianto! Can you bring some of your caffeinated gold up here?" He hollered towards the archives.

'_What the hell Jack. I brought you coffee__ fifteen minutes ago.'_ Ianto's mental voice sounded irritated.

'_I know, but I need to show you something. Toshiko has been monitoring Gwen's research project and it's starting to get out of hand.' _

'_And bellowing for coffee was the best cover you could manage?'_

Jack smiled. _'Well, I could have said get your hot arse in here so that I can bend you over the desk and have my way with you, but seeing as you are still holding out on me, that wouldn't be wise now, would it?'_

'_Pardon me for wanting us to at least have dinner, or even a proper date before jumping into bed,__ Sir. This isn't the bloody dark ages where I can just throw you into the nearest tent and bugger you senseless.'_

'_Speaking from experience are we? I seem to recall that you didn't come directly home when you came back from the Iron Age. Did you have your wicked way with a few wenches along the way?' _

'_That is for me to know and for you to ponder as a gentleman doesn't kiss and tell. Now stop sending me images of stable boys and bar wenches and pretend to work, I'm on my way.'_

Jack resumed his post at his desk, and soon heard a tap on his door signaling Ianto's arrival. He stood in the doorway with a tray bearing two cups of coffee and some biscuits.

"Your coffee, Sir," said Ianto as he moved into the room. Jack looked up and saw the barely contained smile twitching at the corners of Ianto's mouth as he set the tray on his desk.

"Close the door, Ianto, we need to go over the budget for next quarter and I don't want to bore the rest of the team." Ianto moved to comply and saw Gwen glance at him as he did so. Taking a seat in the armchair across from his desk, he sipped his coffee and looked at Jack over the rim of the cup.

"Is she still looking?" he asked. Jack glanced down at the CCTV. Gwen had gotten up and had moved to the kitchen near Jack's office, apparently trying to overhear their conversation.

"Moved on to surveillance, it would seem," said Jack grimly. "What I don't understand is what brought this on. She was fine before the Beacons and suddenly she's researching you, and looking into Denjiro as well." He sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. "Could she have seen you somehow?"

Ianto contemplated his coffee. "I don't see how. Rhys mentioned that she got a call last month, while she was recovering, and she has seemed distracted ever since. Maybe we should check her phone records, just in case?"

Jack nodded and began typing. "I'll send Tosh a message via IM to get on it and to send me anything else she might have found while we are both in here." His computer beeped, signalling her response.

"Tosh has it. The number is unlisted." Jack sighed in frustration. "I'll ask her to keep trying."

"What's odd is that she isn't really trying to hide anything, it's like she wants to be caught," said Ianto. "It doesn't make sense. For all of her overzealous curiosity, Gwen isn't stupid. One would think she would be a bit more stealthy."

"I'll talk to her, ask her what the hell she's up to." Jack's stared out the window at Gwen who was washing the same dish for the fifth time. "Maybe if she trusts me, I can get it out of her," he added, voice flat.

Ianto stood up and took the tray from Jack's desk, using it as an excuse to touch his hand. Jack looked up at him.

"Let's hope that this is all just a misunderstanding. Rhys is worried, and so am I." He smiled softly as he stroked Jack's hand.

Jack looked at their hands and then smiled up at him. "How about I talk to Gwen today and then tomorrow night you and I go out to dinner, You know, a proper date and all that."

Ianto smiled back at him. "I'd like that. But for now, get your captain hat back on, Sir. It's time for a little tough love before PC Cooper's curiosity gets the better of her again."

He walked to the door and stopped before he opened it. "By the way, I think the whole bit about not getting intimate on the first date is a load of rubbish, life's too damn short to put these things off."

With that he left Jack's office. As Jack stared after him, his face spread into a mega-watt grin.

He waited a moment before standing up and going to the door to the kitchen where Gwen was trying to look inconspicuous as she continued to clean her plate.

"Gwen!" Jack almost laughed as she jumped. "Let's go into my office for a little chat, shall we?" She nodded nervously and put the plate back on the counter before following him.

"Rift alert!" called Tosh from across the Hub. "It's in an alley near Splott. From the size of it, it looks like we have a crash of some sort on our hands. "

"Right, Ianto, Tosh, you handle it. Owen, I expect that autopsy report before you leave and you are on standby if they need you for backup. Gwen, we have some items to discuss."

* * *

As the TARDIS neared Earth's atmosphere it began to shake. The Doctor started frantically trying to stabilize her, only to feel her quaking and shivering beneath him. It was almost as if she was fighting something to land. Then the cloister bell sounded, and the Doctor gripped the edge of the console, trying desperately not to be thrown across the room.

"Doctor!" shouted Martha as she fell to the floor and reached for a support beam to steady herself.

"Hang on, Martha, I think the satellite network is messing with her temporal circuits."

The shaking continued and the console room almost seemed to spin in a reflection of the TARDIS's motion outside. Suddenly everything stopped.

Martha stood up and brushed herself off. "Right then, where are we?"

"Splott," replied the Doctor, checking the monitors and going over systems to ensure that the TARDIS had not sustained any permanent damage.

"Splott? I thought you said Cardiff?"

"Yep." The Doctor held out the "p" until it popped. "Technically it is Cardiff, just not the Cardiff Bay part which I was aiming for. We were pulled off course by interference from the network. Looks like an alley in Splott it is then." He reached out to pluck the tracking stone from the console, and picking up his jacket from the railing he headed to the door.

"Care to brave the wilds of Splott's back alleys, Martha?" he asked holding out his hand.

Martha laughed and took it in her own as they walked out of the TARDIS. As soon as they emerged, they were met with the sound of guns clicking.

* * *

"So, Gwen," Jack said watching as she sat across from him, hands twisting in her lap and not meeting his eyes. "Mind telling me what all the snooping around is about? Looking into files is one thing, but eavesdropping on your co-workers? That's just rude."

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to know more about Rhys's new drinking companions," she looked up at him, her eyes wide and innocent.

"He's too trusting Jack, anyone could take advantage of him. I mean really, Ianto and Tosh's cousin? What are the chances of them meeting by accident? Torchwood might be compromised. Mr. Saxon and the Ministry are always talking about being vigilant. It's my, it's _our _duty to protect the world from alien threats, and if Ianto has let any information about Torchwood out, it could be a security risk."

Jack stared at her, Saxon? Since when did he have any say in Torchwood?

"But Gwen, you know Ianto. He saved you from Suzie. He's been with Torchwood longer than any of you, how can you doubt his loyalty?" Jack said, hoping she would see reason.

"He's always so private, and Rhys brought them to our home Jack. _My _home. When they woke up from their lads' night, all of them had weapons at the ready. That's not normal. We have to make sure that he doesn't compromise Torchwood..." She paused for a moment and Jack noticed that she was tapping a rhythm onto her thigh over and over, tap-tap tap-tap.

"Gwen, are you alright?" Jack was concerned. It was almost like she was on auto-pilot, and the tapping, what was that about?

She suddenly snapped out of it and smiled at him. "Sorry I was thinking a moment. You're right. I was just being silly. Rhys would know better than to get involved in anything. It was just a couple of mates out for a drink. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I'll just be going back to my desk now, sorry for making such a fuss." She stood as if to leave.

Jack stood up to stop her. "Gwen, what's really going on? I don't understand."

Gwen turned towards him; he watched as she frowned as if contemplating something. "Jack I need to tell you-," she stopped again, face blank. A moment later she returned to normal and smiled. "No, no, it was a stupid idea. I'm sure Ianto is being careful. I'll just delete that report, shall I? Thanks for the pep talk." She smiled and returned to her workspace.

Jack watched her go, trying to figure out what had just happened. It almost reminded him of Lisa and Suzie. He shuddered. One thing was for sure, he would need to keep a closer eye on Gwen.

"Keep your hands where we can see them. We're Torchwood, protectors of this planet. Please state your species, name, and the purpose of your visit," said Tosh, keeping her gun trained on the man and woman in front of her.

"Human, Martha Jones. You're Torchwood? My cousin worked for you. She died at Canary Wharf," Martha said. The eyes of the man in front of her softened a bit at the mention of Canary Wharf.

"What do you want with us? I'm from here, Earth I mean, and he's a consultant for UNIT." She gestured to the Doctor at her side.

The Doctor smiled at Martha, touched that she would stand up for him. He turned to the two Torchwood agents.

"So you lot are Torchwood then? The Doctor looked them up and down. "I might have known. I take it you know about the whole Archangel Network and what it's doing?"

Tosh and Ianto glanced at each other.

"It went online last month, but we haven't had a chance to completely infiltrate it yet. There haven't been any disturbances from it until now." As Ianto spoke, the Doctor turned towards him, eyes open wide in shock.

Lowering his hands, he pulled his glasses from his pocket, and stepped towards him.

"No, no, you can't be," he said, looking Ianto up and down. "You're impossible, I mean Irina said that you lot were here but..."

Ianto stared at him, lowering his gun a moment. "How do you know that name?"

The Doctor felt a long unused synapse at the back of his brain ignite.

'_Who are you? And what do you know of Irina?'_ His mouth opened in shock, the boy had mentally contacted him, on a Time Lord frequency no less. Very interesting.

"You're her son aren't you?" He almost whispered the question, as if afraid of the answer.

Ianto nodded. "But this is not the place for this discussion, though introductions might be in order." He gestured to Tosh and she lowered her gun as well.

"Right, sorry, terribly rude this regeneration. You've met Martha Jones, and I'm the Doctor."

Ianto turned to introduce Tosh. "This is Toshiko Sato, though if memory serves you've already met?"

The Doctor looked puzzled a minute and then grinned. "Doctor Sato? The space pig?"

She smiled at him. "I was covering for a colleague that day, technology is more my field."

"And you are?" Martha asked looking towards Ianto.

"Jones, Ianto Jones. You have a lovely last name by the way Martha," he smiled at her and shook her hand.

"Cheeky." Martha said, smiling back.

"So," Ianto put his gun away and Tosh followed suit. "What brings you to Cardiff, and more importantly why Splott?"

The Doctor proceeded to bring them into the TARDIS and show them the message that Irina had sent. As the message played, Ianto stared mesmerized watching his mother. Tosh looked over at him as a tear fell from his eye.

"She's beautiful," Tosh said, reaching for Ianto's hand. "Rhiannon looks a lot like her. But you have her eyes Ianto."

As the message ended, he smiled at her before wiping his eyes and turning his attention back to the Doctor.

"But the Master, who is he?"

The Doctor grimaced. "We were friends once, but he went rogue, hypnotizing whole worlds and terrorizing the universe. While most Time Lords stood with races such as yours watching and protecting the universe, he only saw it as his playground and his TARDIS a means for personal gain."

He turned to the image of Irina frozen in front of him. "I can only assume that she told you of the Time War. During it they tried reviving dead Time Lords, to help fight. Maybe someone revived him." He paused staring at the image. "They're all gone now anyway, no one to ask. I'm the only one left…" He trailed off, lost in his own thoughts.

Ianto touched his arm and the Doctor looked up. "There aren't many of us left either. Recently we've been drawn together, as if something is pulling us to find each other. Your being here can't be a coincidence."

The Doctor looked at him. "Do you have all of the affinity stones accounted for? All five?"

"All but one. Fire is missing, and even when I touch the time streams, I can't feel it like the others," said Ianto. "I know it's there, but it's almost as if it's shrouded somehow, hidden, not wanting to be found."

The Doctor pointed to the monitor. "It's the Archangel Network, it's blocking anything trying to come in, hence why we missed Cardiff Bay by a bit, and it could potentially be messing with anything planet-side as well. The Master's signal disappeared as soon as it went live, so I can only assume he is involved somehow."

Tosh moved to stand beside him. "There's an underlying sub-wave pulse that I have been monitoring since it went up." She pushed a few buttons on the console, before the Doctor could stop her. An underlying schematic came up, and the frequency that Tosh had found now showed on the screen.

"But how did you?" the Doctor stammered, and stared at her a moment. "Little bit of the Aderyn genes in you as well?"

Tosh nodded, studying the monitor. "Only enough to make most technology child's play." She typed in a few more codes and isolated the frequency. "Let's see what it sounds like shall we?" She entered another code-string and suddenly a rhythm was heard reverberating through the TARDIS. Tap-tap, tap-tap. The Doctor closed his eyes and winced. Ianto reached up to his temples as if in pain.

"Turn it off Tosh, please," he gasped.

Tosh dampened the signal and The Doctor was next to him in an instant. "What did you hear?"

"It's a subliminal message," Ianto shook his head as if to clear it. "It said, Vote Saxon. Saxon is good. He'll protect you. All species should obey Saxon." He rolled his shoulders back and stood up straighter. "It was bloody awful, like someone was pounding it into my head over and over. If it's broadcasting over the entire world, no wonder everyone trusts him."

The Doctor went over to the monitor. "It's him, has to be. But how did he get here?"

Ianto's phone chose that moment to ring, it was Jack. He looked at the Doctor and answered.

"Hey Ianto. How's Splott?"

"Jack." Ianto answered, and saw the Doctor's eyes go wide again.

'_Jack Harkness? You work with him?'_ The Doctor had automatically switched to telepathy.

'_He's our __boss; he's been in charge since Canary Wharf. He's made sure that Torchwood actually works with aliens instead confiscating their technology and locking them up.' _The Doctor made a disapproving face.

Ianto stared him down, frustrated._ I trust him. Doctor, he knows about us. I think you two have a few things to discuss if I'm not mistaken.'_

The Doctor looked at him, eyes narrowed._ 'Don't let him know I'm here. I will do no such thing. He's wrong and I-"_

Ianto felt another presence enter their conversation. _'Enough, Doctor. We did the Captain a disservice before. We need to give him answers. This Aderyn is special, more then you know, and he is tied to him.'_

Ianto felt the TARDIS stroke his mind in companionship as she continued. _'You need to work together on this. If you don't have his help, you are doomed to fail.'_

The Doctor sighed._ 'Alright. You win. I'll talk to him, but no dropping us off on some random planet to make your point okay?'_

Laughter like the sound of wind chimes on a summer day was his only response.

"Ianto are you there?" Jack sounded worried.

"Sorry, Sir. Distracted a moment. An old friend of yours and his _Blue Lady_ dropped in."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

Silence filled the line. The Blue Lady was Jack's code for the TARDIS. "Are you with him right now?"

"That I am, Sir," responded Ianto. "And he is not alone. One Martha Jones is with him as well. They seem to be having some trouble navigating with the Archangel Network online."

The Doctor mumbled something about temporal circuits, and resumed looking at the monitor.

"It would appear to be wreaking havoc on her temporal circuits," Ianto added and the Doctor nodded.

"Can you move her Ianto? An alley in Splott is no place to hide a TARDIS," Ianto could hear Jack typing in the background, presumably looking at an area map for a safe place for her to land.

"I was thinking the Plass, near the lift, there should be enough residual energy for her to fuel up, and the perception filter can be extended," Ianto responded looking towards the Doctor.

"We need to hurry, something is attempting to track us, and if we don't move her soon we are going to have company," said the Doctor pulling switches and attempting to increase the perception filter on the TARDIS to maximum.

"I heard that," Jack said, voice worried again. "I'll take down the temporal dampener over the Hub. Should be down...now."

"Thank you Sir. I'll send Tosh and Martha back via the SUV, the Doctor and I will be there shortly," Ianto paused, "How did things go with Gwen?"

Jack looked to where Gwen was watching him across the Hub. "Interesting. Why don't I meet you two on the Plass and we can discuss it." Until he was sure that she was okay, he couldn't risk her reporting the Doctor's presence.

"I'll alert Tosh that we might be delayed a bit, and ask her to keep Martha company until we return. Jones out." He hung up.

Having overheard the conversation, Tosh and Martha moved towards the TARDIS doors. "I expect you both to be at the Hub within an hour of us getting there, and within the same time stream too," said Tosh, looking pointedly at Ianto.

He smiled at her. "Understood, Tosh. See you soon."

As they left, Ianto turned to the Doctor. "Depending on Traffic, we probably have about twenty linear minutes until they make it back to the Hub. Should give us an hour or so, time shifts and TARDIS permitting. Let's get to it then."

The Doctor stared at him a moment before breaking into a wide grin. "Just like your mother. Well, let's get a move on, lots to discuss and no time to spare."

* * *

Jack turned to Gwen, who was watching him expectantly. "I need to step out for a bit. Tosh will be here soon with a guest. Can you and Owen hold the fort?"

"Sure thing, Jack," she smiled at him. "Would you like me to monitor from here?"

"No, no, this just calls for a translator and they'll be on their way. Shouldn't be long." He tried to make it convincing, but he wasn't sure if she would buy it.

"Alright then. I'll have my comm on standby if you need me," she said Jack nodded before heading out.

As soon as he was out the door, Gwen picked up her phone and dialled a familiar number.

"Mister Saxon? It's Gwen Cooper. I think they are making their move. They were investigating a potential crash site. I heard something about an old friend of Jack's dropping in and something about a Blue Lady."

"Blue Lady? Are you absolutely sure Miss Cooper?" Saxon's voice had a note of barely contained glee in it.

"Yes Sir. They are on their way to the Hub at this very moment."

"You've done well Gwen, very well. Keep up the good work. I'll be sending some of my team around shortly to aid you in containing the alien and his space ship. He's much more dangerous then any of them know. Thank goodness that you were smart enough to call me for backup. Keep your phone on, I'll be in touch."

After he hung up, Gwen smiled to herself. She had protected her country, and gotten Rhys away from danger before it was too late. Better still, she had made Saxon proud.

* * *

_Time Agency, __April 4__th__, 5046 Century _

John Hart ran down the ammunition block corridor. He only had seconds before the floating balls of death would catch up to him. Reaching the sonic storage vault, he unlocked the door and quickly stepped inside. Moving further into the room, he pulled out three sonic blasters and quickly paced them in his belt. Checking his own blaster, he replaced the depleted power cell to ensure that he was ready when they found him. As he crouched behind a weapons locker watching the door, his wrist strap beeped.

"Hell of a time for a message," he muttered, looking to see who was contacting him.

A holo-vid of his former partner, a man now called Jack Harkness came into view.

"John, if you are receiving this, it should be sometime in the mid 51st. I had to send this on the fly, so I can only hope that it reaches you in time. My mission with Nixa, the centennial asset check on Malcassairo, turned out to be a setup. Nixa was apparently on the last check in and removed asset YANA's neural dampener. He was starting to remember, and she activated some sort of watch that he carried, allowing him to resume his Time Lord state."

John looked at the image in disdain. What kind of sick joke was he playing? There weren't any Time Lords left, they were all dead. As if anticipating his reaction, the message continued.

"That's right, you heard me. YANA, the asset that the Time Agency experimented on and studied for the last 200 years, is a Time Lord. And a nasty one from what I've seen. As soon as he regained his Time Lord self, he said 'The Master thanks you,' killed her, and took her wrist strap. I managed to shoot him and deactivate her strap, but he started to regenerate from the wound and somehow knocked me out. When I woke up, my strap had auto retrieved me back to the Time Agency, and I was immediately brought up on charges for destroying asset YANA." John swore. This was bad.

"John, they're going to wipe part of my memory. They want to keep this a secret. If we have a renegade Time Lord on the loose, there is no telling what will happen. Since it was disabled, Nixa's strap should only travel to her point of origin at the agency on April 4, 5046. Any subsequent trips will cause burnout. I need you to track it with the tracer in this message, find and stop him before he does anymore damage. I know we haven't always been the best of friends, John, but I need you to do this. It's a cliché, but the fate of the universe may depend on it."

The message ended. John heard the tell-tale giggles and the sound of lasers as his adversaries started tearing down the door.

"Silly Time Agent thinks he can outrun us. All the other agents fell down and he will too. Mister Master wants us to teach him a lesson."

John swallowed, he didn't have much time. Punching in the tracer that his former partner had sent him, he brought up the current location of Nixa's supposedly disabled wrist strap. 21st Century Earth. He swore under his breath as he prepared for the vortex jump.

"Crappy century with backwards sexual values and shit for resources. You better be right about this," John complained before glancing back to the door. They were almost through. "Still, it's better than laser happy death-balls. 21st Century it is then."

Entering the final coordinates, he vanished in a ball of light just as the door came crashing down.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

**A/N:** Many thanks to the fabulous sparking_off for beta-ing. Any mistakes left are all mine.

This is my first time writing Lucy, John, and the Master, so I am curious what you think.

Thanks so much for the reviews, they really help drive the story. I am probably going to be updating on Tuesdays and Fridays from now on, depending on how fast I write.

* * *

**Part 14**

* * *

John emerged from the vortex into what appeared to be some sort of den or office. He scanned the room for weapons and tech, quickly finding Nixa's burnt out vortex manipulator held open and torn apart next to a microscope of some sort. Using his sonic blaster, he disintegrated it, hoping that this Master fellow, whoever he was, hadn't had enough time to attempt and build one of his own.

He heard a small cough and looked up to see a petite and pretty blonde woman standing in the doorway to the room, wearing what he could only describe as housewife chic. Not a hair was out of place and she was even wearing pearls. John smirked to himself, and wondered if underneath those clothes she was just as prim and proper. He gave her his best naughty boy smile and stepped around to the front of the desk, and leaned against it, arms crossed. He eyed her up and down lazily and smiled again before she spoke.

"What are you doing with my husband's things?" she asked him in an almost childlike voice.

"Just looking, lovely. It would seem that he has a knack for tinkering," he gestured to the full scale model of a ship labeled _The Valiant_ on a side table, and the various gadgets littering the workbench to his left.

"Harry's brilliant," her eyes shone in adoration. "He can make and do things that we can't even dream of. " She eyed him up and down as if noticing his attire for the first time. "But then again, you aren't exactly in your time either, are you? I wonder what he would do if he found you here?" She smiled softly as she asked the question, and for a moment John wondered if she was really as harmless as she appeared.

"I'm not looking for trouble Mrs.?" John held up his hands and straightened up a bit trying to look as harmless as possible. He tilted his head to the side, waiting for her to supply her name.

"Oh, terribly sorry," she said holding out her hand. "It's Lucy, Lucy Saxon. Harry is my husband."

"John Hart, at your service," he said, kissing her hand. Rather than release it, he kept hold of it, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand with a roguish smile on his face.

She smiled at him again and as he watched, her eyes turned red and her grip on his hand tightened.

"What are you doing? Hey! Let go!" exclaimed John, trying to pull his hand away. It was growing hotter by the second. Lucy continued to smile at him as if nothing was wrong.

"Now, now, Lucy. Let the nice little Time Agent go," came a man's voice from the doorway.

John felt a sharp flash of pain and saw a burst of flames cover his hand. As the pain continued, he bit his lip so he wouldn't cry out.

"Yes Harry," said Lucy as her eyes resumed their normal color. She released John's hand, and walked over to her husband. Lucy kissed him on the cheek and glanced back at John with a smile before leaving the room.

John, who had clutched his left hand to his chest in pain, now pulled it away to stare at the heat blisters covering his palm.

"Oooh, that looks nasty." Saxon made a tsk-tsk sound, walking towards John and shaking his head. "Might want to put a little something on that before it festers."

John just stared at him.

"I see you've met the wife, charming isn't she? Bit prim on the outside, but fiery as hell where it counts." He winked at John. "So," Saxon continued conversationally as he walked to the corner bar and poured himself a scotch. "I take it you're the one that my little friends couldn't catch down in the munitions locker. Lucky escape that one." He placed a couple of ice cubes in a towel, and walked over to hand it John. His eyes glittered as if figuring out how to take John apart piece by piece.

Shit. John's mind worked overtime on a plan. If, as he suspected, this Saxon guy was the Master; he needed to get out of there and fast.

"Luck had nothing to do with it," he said, wincing as he placed the towel on his hand. "I took the first jump out and followed the last signal that left the base. It would appear to have been yours." It wasn't entirely plausible, but from what he had heard of Time Lords, telepathy was part of their arsenal. He needed to keep it simple.

"Is that so?" Saxon smiled at him condescendingly. "You don't by chance know a man named Captain Jack Harkness, do you?" he asked, sipping his drink and staring at John over the rim of the glass.

"Can't say that I do," John replied. It was almost the truth. "I heard a rumor that a former partner of mine, a real pain in the ass type, went rogue and was using that name somewhere on this mud ball. Why? Have you seen him? He left me hanging when a job went south, and he owes me quite a few credits that I intend to take out of his hide." John snarled a smile and hoped that it would lend some credence to his story.

"Oh, he and his little band of alien hunters are around," Saxon said dismissively, taking another sip of his scotch and sitting down behind his desk. John pivoted from his spot in front of it so that he faced him.

"Any chance you could tell me where? As I said, he owes me, and it's long overdue."

Saxon leaned back in his chair and steepled his hands near his chest, tapping his fingers together as he spoke.

"I have a better idea. How about you find him for me?" He smiled at John pleasantly, but John noticed the malice beneath it. "He has some interesting friends that I would pay you handsomely for as well." He leaned forward and opened the right hand drawer of his desk, and pulling a small pouch from it, let the contents spill out on top of it. Two walnut sized diamonds the lay in front of him within a hand's reach.

"What do you say to two Venusian diamonds for the job? One for Harkness and Denjiro Sato, and one for my friend and his blue box."

John licked his lips. Not just one Venusian diamond, but two. He could retire with that amount of money, and live very well, end of the world be damned. But what if 'Jack' was right? Could he even trust this Time Lord? The towel on his hand shifted again and he winced in pain. He really didn't have a choice.

"That's it, simple retrieval job? There has to be a catch." John eyed the diamonds, and then looked up to the narrowed eyes of their owner.

"Smarter then you look," said Saxon with a half-smile. His face turned serious. "Possibly too crafty, with you having that vortex manipulator and all. Can't have you sneaking back in here and stealing my toys, can I?"

John stood up to move towards the door, but Saxon simply called out for Lucy, who glided into the doorway, eyes red and a small ball of fire in her hand. He stopped cold. He was trapped.

"Now, now, Lucy, Agent Hart was just thinking over my offer. No need to get toasty about it," Saxon said, walking towards John with a small tube-like gadget twirling in his hand. Lucy let the ball dissolve and moved to stand alongside him. He opened John's wrist strap and pointed the device at it.

"There, all done." He closed it and patted it as if putting a small child to bed. "You can still jump around a bit, just nothing off world. Once you bring me what I ask for, it will be fully functional once more, and you can have your diamonds in payment. Are we agreed?" He smiled at John, daring him to say no.

John swallowed; he would agree for now. "Agreed. Where do I find these people and when do you want them by?"

Saxon smiled wider. Lucy put her arms around him and looked up at her husband adoringly.

He turned to her and stroked her cheek. "Every good Time Lord needs a companion, and mine is rather loyal, wouldn't you say, Agent Hart?" he said, turning back to John to gauge his reaction.

John kept his face neutral, and nodded. His hand throbbed, reminding him of how dangerous this domestic situation really was.

Saxon, who John was now certain was the Master himself, smiled before continuing.

"The Mrs. and I are back to London for the next couple of weeks. There's the election bit to finish and all that. But Gwen Cooper over at Torchwood Three gave me an interesting call today that might just make your job easier. Ever been to Cardiff, Agent Hart?"

* * *

Jack stood at the top of the lift, in front of the water tower. He surveyed the Plass, looking for any sign of the TARDIS. Tapping his foot impatiently, he barely felt his phone vibrate to let him know he had a text message.

_MOD on way 2 Plass, Saxon's orders. Is this a spooky do? PC-AD x_

MOD on way? What was Andy talking about? Saxon? Jack had a sinking feeling in his stomach. Gwen.

He quickly sent Andy a message back.

_Not us. Clear Plass just in case. Thx CJH x _

His phone vibrated again.

_On site in 5, riot force in tow. Stay safe you nutter. PC-AD x_

Jack smiled at the message before looking up to see military grade jeeps coming up Bute Street. Glancing towards the Torchwood car park, he saw Tosh pulling the SUV in and the doors closing behind her. Part of his team safe, but where the hell where the Doctor and Ianto?

Just as the jeeps started offloading, he heard the familiar whine of the TARDIS engines. Wind whipped his hair and he looked around, hoping that they would land near the lift as planned.

The TARDIS started to materialize beside him and he let out a sigh of relief. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the soldiers making their way across the Plass and PC Andy on the other side, guiding any civilians that happened to be in the area away from whatever the Ministry of Defense had planned.

The TARDIS landed. Butterflies danced in his stomach as Jack watched the door open. Ianto emerged first, followed by the Doctor. The door shut behind him, and the Doctor leaned against it staring at Jack. Neither man spoke. Ianto looked between them and, rolling his eyes, clicked on his comm.

"Tosh, heard from that cousin of yours? We might need some cover up here," he said glancing at where the soldiers were setting up a semi circle starting at the center of the Plass and arching around the water tower. Apparently stretching the perception filter to cover the TARDIS was not working as well as planned.

"Got you on CCTV. Looks like you boys have some company. I called Den on the way here, figured he should be present as well. He should be there right about now," Tosh replied.

Ianto looked up and sure enough, Denjiro was standing on top of the Millennium Center, arms raised, wings out, and eyes alight with power as he caused a fog to roll across the Plass and cloak them from view.

"He's here Tosh," Ianto said as he watched Den glide over the top of the fog bank to land gracefully in front of the water sculpture. "I'm going offline, but keep CCTV on in case we need you."

"Be careful, it looks like they're sending choppers your way too," she replied, and the comm went silent.

Denjiro nodded at Jack in greeting and, turning towards the Doctor, bowed at the waist in respect.

"Denjiro Sato, at your service," he said, before straightening up to regard him. "While you are most welcome Time Lord, it would appear that your presence is not unnoticed." He gestured to the thick fog bank behind him and the soldiers struggling to get through it.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow and looked at Ianto. "Are you lot always as carefree with your presence as this?" he asked.

Ianto smirked. "We only bring it out on special occasions," he said, before turning to Jack. "Any idea why the MOD is on our doorstep?"

Jack looked at the Doctor. "I can think of a few," he admitted. "But none recently. Who did you piss off, Doc? We haven't heard from these boys in months."

"Dunno," said the Doctor with a shrug. "I came here because of a signal Irina sent about a rogue Time Lord called the Master. Seems he had a hand in the whole Archangel Network from what we can make out."

'_Who's Irina?'_ Jack asked Ianto.

'_My Mam. Apparently the Doctor knew her. She sent him a holo-vid to come help us,'_ Ianto answered.

'_Oh. So this isn't a personal visit then?'_ Jack sounded disappointed. _'I should have known.'_

'_Oh come on Jack, don't start a pity party now.' _The Doctor interrupted them. _'And by the way Jack, since when can you operate on a Time Lord mental channel? That's not normal. First Ianto, then you, pretty soon everyone will be doing it. Is nothing sacred anymore?' _He crossed his arms and glared at them.

"The telepathy is recent, and other then Ianto's sister Rhia and now Den here, no one else knows, so we would like to keep it that way if you don't mind," Jack retorted out loud, matching the Doctor's cross-armed stance.

Ianto glanced at Den to make sure he was holding up okay and then back at the two men in front of him.

"Look, Den can't keep this up all day. Tosh said that they are sending in choppers next, and I for one do not want to be here when they do," he said, and then, seeing that they hadn't moved, he put his hands on his hips. "We need a plan, we can't leave the TARDIS here unprotected and she's not in a fit state to fly right now. So both of you stop acting like five year olds and help."

"Why should I help him?" Jack snarked. "He left me. He made me this thing that can't die and he left. I'll help the TARDIS but that's it."

"You're wrong, Jack," the Doctor replied. "So very wrong. I couldn't help it, when Rose brought you back, she did it forever. You're a fixed point, and I can't change that, and it makes my brain itch just to see it."

Jack's eyes narrowed and he was about to start yelling, when the choppers arrived. The fog that Denjiro had coated the Plass with began to dissipate with the wind they were producing.

"I could bring them down with a burst of air, but I don't want to hurt the passengers," Den shouted over the din. "They're just following orders. I refuse to take an honorable man's life."

Ianto nodded in agreement. "I can stop time for a bit, might be enough to get us down the lift and into the Hub, but I can't hold the whole Plass for more than a few seconds. It's too big. The TARDIS can't move. Any ideas?" He looked at the Doctor, then Jack hoping that they might have something.

Before either of them could speak, a quiet came over the Plass, and everything stopped. Jack looked at Ianto, who just shrugged. "It wasn't me, I can't do anything that large," he said, looking puzzled.

"It was me," said a soft feminine voice from behind the Doctor. The men turned to see a woman made of pure light standing just inside the open TARDIS doors. She wore a simple dress that flowed around her bare feet and her hair seemed to move with an unseen wind. A soft melody followed her movements, ancient and full of power.

"TARDIS?" the Doctor whispered. She smiled at him and touched his cheek before walking towards Jack.

"Captain, I have missed you," she said, and kissed him softly. "We did you a disservice by leaving you before, and you have suffered for it. I cannot changed what time has done, but know that the intention was born of love. The love that three friends and their ship shared for one another. A love that while tarnished, cannot be broken."

She moved to Ianto, and kissed his forehead. "Guardian of time. You hold so much promise. There is so much for you to learn, and so many secrets to be revealed. Your finding the captain was no accident, for his destiny is entwined with yours. Do not doubt yourself, for even in the darkest hour, your heart will guide you."

She turned to the Doctor and kissed his cheek before holding his hands in hers. "My beloved Lord of Time. No longer the last, but the other is not worthy of his heritage. There is pain to come, and suffering, but if you trust in those born of time, you will find peace at last. Do not waste it on the fears of your ancestors."

Denjiro bowed to her as she moved to reenter the TARDIS doors. She touched his cheek fondly before turning back to the other three.

"I cannot leave this place. The time stream has been written, and so it must happen. My capture cannot be avoided, but perhaps it can be less painful." She paused as if considering something, before meeting their eyes once more. "Time runs strong through each of you, the vortex gives you strength." She closed her eyes and held her hands in front of her as a ball of white energy, swirled with streaks of blue and red, began to grow. She raised it over her head and it broke into three pieces. Her hands spread wide and the three identical balls spun in the air above her. "A part of me can hide within each of you. Until I am whole again, it will stop the Master from accessing my full power. Only those born of time can do this. Do you accept?"

There was no hesitation. As one all three of them answered as one. "Yes"

The TARDIS nodded, and the balls of light darted out until they hovered in front of the Doctor, Jack, and Ianto.

"I will lie dormant within you. Only you three together can fully reawaken me. I leave myself in your capable hands. Until the world is right again, please stay safe and protect one another." She smiled at them sadly and closed her eyes again. The light inside her shone brightly for a moment, before merging with the balls of energy in front of the three men and then they in turn merged with each of them, lighting them from within. The doors to the TARDIS closed and tears ran down the Doctor's cheeks.

Jack looked at him and nodded before turning to Ianto. He had changed from human to Aderyn without registering it. His wings were pure gold, no trace of copper left, and his entire being seemed to be filled with light. Jack was stunned. He knew that Ianto was gorgeous, but he had never seen him look so beautifully unearthly before now. As he watched, Ianto turned and raised his hands to hold time in place now that the TARDIS could no longer do so.

"Get on the lift, I am only going to hold this until we start the descent," he said.

Jack shook himself and pulled the Doctor towards him on the lift.

He gestured to Denjiro who seemed rooted to the spot, staring at Ianto.

"You too Den," he said, "we aren't leaving you out here to face this alone." Den turned slowly towards him as if reluctant to leave Ianto and stepped onto the platform. "You might want to put the wings away in case Gwen gets trigger happy," Jack added. Denjiro nodded and resumed his human guise.

"Everyone on?" Ianto asked and started stepping back.

"Just get on here, we are _not_ leaving you behind," Jack said, reaching out for him.

Ianto took another step back and made it onto the platform. Slowly he lowered his arms and the light surrounding him pulsed once and went out. His entire body seemed to sag and then he was human once more.

"I've got you," Jack whispered in his ear, pulling him close, and Ianto breathed out trying to recenter himself.

As they watched, the soldiers around them, still partially concealed in Denjiro's fog, began to stir, and the blades on the choppers overhead began to turn slowly as time caught up.

Jack clicked on his comm. "Tosh?"

"Are you alright? We lost feed for a bit there. I am assuming that the odd weather patterns might have disrupted CCTV," she replied, her voice concerned.

"All in hand on the lift, I'm going to activate it now. Go ahead and bring the temporal shielding back up. We can't move the TARDIS, but if someone takes her, they are going to have to do it the old fashioned way," he said clenching his jaw in frustration.

Jack had one arm around Ianto to steady him and used the other to push the lift sequence into his wrist strap. The Doctor almost stepped off when it started moving, and Ianto reached out to take his hand in reassurance and shook his head. Their eyes met and all four of them stared at the TARDIS as they were lowered into the hub.

* * *

As the slab closed above them, the Plass came back to life. The fog lifted and the soldiers moved forward across the now empty Plass to encircled the TARDIS. The choppers landed nearby and John Hart hopped out, his left hand wrapped in gauze and sonic blasters at the ready.

He strode up to the TARDIS and eyed the door before pulling out his sonic blaster and attempting to open it by cutting a hole in the door. The shot bounced off and hit one of the ground forces in the arm. He grimaced and tried picking the lock by more conventional methods. After several minutes of trying various ways to open it, his wrist strap beeped and he answered it.

"I take it you managed to secure at least one of the objectives, Agent Hart?" The Master didn't sound pleased.

"They caused some sort of temporal loop, the area is thick with it. But they left the blue box you want so badly behind. Is that good enough for you?" John snarked at him.

"Temper, temper. You've managed to get the most important of the lot on the first go. Considering it was handed to you on a platter, you have done exceedingly well." The Master's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"You haven't opened it have you?" he asked, and John was suddenly glad that he hadn't been able to.

"No, we're going to hoist it from the choppers and bring it back with us now," John responded, loud enough that the soldiers behind him got to work.

"Excellent. Have them bring it straight to _The_ _Valiant_. I can't wait to say hello to her," said the Master. John could almost hear him rubbing his hands together.

"And the others?" John asked, hoping that he could give them a reprieve for now.

"Let them stew in their little hidey hole for now. We know where they are if we want them," came the reply. "I expect you on _The_ _Valiant_ within the hour." The line went dead.

John looked around him and noticed the CCTV camera watching them from half way up the water tower. He glanced around him to see if anyone was watching, before mouthing a silent message.

* * *

Far below in the Torchwood Three Hub, Toshiko Sato translated the message with the lip reading program.

"If you can see this, run. Saxon, the Master, he's coming for you. I have to help him, I have no choice. Denjiro Sato, the Doctor, Torchwood Three, and Jack Harkness…." She paused took a breath before continuing. "All of you, he knows where you are, and he has something big planned. I'm not sure what, but his crazy fire wielding wife is in on it too. Even Miss Cooper, his little mole, is not safe. Her boyfriend is on the list for capture, even if she cooperates. Good Luck."

They all turned to Gwen who had reached for her gun. Holding it towards her team mates, tears ran down her face. "He's right. Rhys is in danger. I don't know who or what all of you are, but I have to protect him. I can't let you go, too many lives are at stake. You should be in the cells, locked up like the Master asked me to do."

Jack moved towards her, his hands raised in submission. "Gwen, put the gun down please. You don't have to do this," he said trying to calm her down. He glanced over her shoulder and saw Owen moving silently towards her, a syringe in hand.

"But I do Jack, the drums. The drums are all I hear now. Tap-tap, tap-tap. Running through my head over and over, telling me what to do, and I can't stop it," she said, the gun in her hands shaking as she moved her finger to the trigger.

"Gwen please," Jack tried again.

Gwen's eyes went wide and she stilled. "No Jack, if you won't cooperate, I'll have to shoot you."

He took another step forward and she pulled the trigger. As Jack crumpled to the ground, Owen plunged the sedative filled syringe into her neck and she collapsed.

Owen lay Gwen down gently on the ground and looked up as Jack gasped back to life in Ianto's arms.

Standing up, Owen brushed his hands on his jeans before crossing his arms and glaring at the group in front of him.

"Right," he barked, staring at each of them in turn. "Someone better start talking and tell me what the bleeding hell is going on!"


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

**A/N:** Many thanks to the fabulous sparking_off for beta-ing, and for having patience with my comma omission problem. Any mistakes left are all mine.

The rating will change within the next two chapters, but anything NSFW will be marked and posted as a stand alone chapter so that you can read as you will.

Things have been a little chaotic lately, so updates are going to be mainly on Fridays for a bit.

Reviews are always great! Thanks for reading!

**

* * *

Part 15  
**

* * *

"So let me get this straight," said Owen glancing around the conference room. "You're immortal," he pointed at Jack, who nodded in response. Owen looked at Martha and continued. "You're a too hot to be real medical student who travels around with this bloke," he pointed at the Doctor, who was busy cutting a piece of thin metal that rather resembled a fettuccini noodle into six equal parts, " who calls himself the Doctor and happens to be an alien."

"Time Lord," the Doctor muttered as he slipped on his glasses and started rolling each of the pieces of metal into circles with his sonic screwdriver.

"Whatever," retorted Owen. "Now the last bit doesn't make any sense at all. I've seen your blood work Ianto, there is no way in hell you can be an alien." He took a sip of his coffee and stared at him.

"And yet, it's the truth," Ianto replied, with a smirk. "Much like the Doctor we look a lot like you. It's part of our ability to blend in. If you did a full scan on me or the Doctor, I am sure there are a few things you would definitely notice."

The Doctor glanced up from where he was working and looked at Ianto, and a silent warning passed between them.

Ianto looked back at him before continuing. "But overall, other than a slight difference in blood type and color, and an allergic reaction to aspirin, we aren't all that different." The Doctor snorted in response and muttered something about apes.

Before Owen could respond the alarm sounded, and the cog door rolled open to reveal Tosh and Denjiro returning, effectively ending the discussion.

"What's he doing here?" asked Jack, sitting back, arms crossed and eyes narrowed at Rhys who was walking up to the conference room behind Tosh and Den.

"He needs to be here, to calm Gwen down when she comes to," said Ianto, standing up to give Rhys his seat. He and Rhys grasped arms in greeting and Rhys looked to where Gwen lay sleeping on the floor, her head propped on a pillow. They exchanged a few words in Welsh before Rhys released his arm and sat down.

Ianto leaned against the wall behind Rhys, and Denjiro moved to stand alongside him. Once Tosh had found her seat, Ianto continued.

"As acting Brenin, Rhys has every right to be a part of any discussions we might have that involve the safety of our people. I suggest you treat him with respect, especially if you want the Aderyn to cooperate with this situation."

The Doctor paused what he was doing and pulled the tongue that had slipped from his lips in concentration back in as his mouth dropped open.

"_Acting _Brenin?" he said, looking at Rhys with surprise. "You mean to tell me that Gruffydd is still alive?" The Doctor squinted and looked at Rhys more closely. "You're his son, aren't you?" he asked.

Rhys regarded him a moment before answering. "He's my Tad, true enough," he said. The Doctor grinned, and Rhys continued. "Been acting in his stead for the last 200 years or so. Though the title will be officially passed on next week, it's merely a formality at this point. Tad hasn't been able to perform his duties for quite some time."

The Doctor gave him a small smile of understanding.

"Honored to meet you, Rhys ap Gruffydd," he said, bowing slightly in his chair. "I just wish it was under different circumstances."

Rhys chuckled. "Well from what I have heard' Time Lord, anytime you show up, circumstances seem to be more than a little _different_." The Doctor grinned in response. Rhys returned it before turning to Jack, who had kept his cross-armed stance throughout the entire exchange.

"Tosh and Den told me some of it on the way over, but if you don't mind, I want to hear more about this Archangel Network, and how Saxon and my Gwen fit in all this," said Rhys. As he stared Jack down, he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, mirroring Jack's stance.

Ianto rolled his eyes before gesturing to the Doctor to help ease the situation. The Doctor took off his glasses and put away his sonic screwdriver.

"Right, then," he said, scooping up the metal circles and bouncing them in his hand as he stood up.

"Miss Sato, could you bring up that visual of the Archangel Network you showed me on the TARDIS?" he asked, moving to the front of the room. Tosh brought up the schematic and the Doctor gave them a quick overview of how the Master-Harold Saxon was using the network to shield the planet from outsiders and bounce a sub-wave of mind control commands back at the planet below.

"So does it only affect humans?" Rhys asked. The Doctor shook his head.

"Not exactly. While in subliminal form, it's easy for us to block due to our increased brain activity," he said. "But at full signal, even though Ianto and I could block it, given enough time it might break through." Rhys turned to Ianto, who nodded his confirmation of the Doctor's analysis. Rhys glanced at Gwen for a moment, before turning back to the Doctor.

"But what about our human families? Torchwood? The rest of the planet?" he asked. "There has to be some way to block this from taking them over. If he got to Gwen, he can get to others in positions infinitely more dangerous. We have to find a way to stop this."

"He's right," said Jack. "Elections are in a few weeks. If he holds that kind of power over Great Britain, it's only a matter of time before he uses this mind control network to take over the rest of the world as well."

Remembering the feeling of confusion that she experienced in the TARDIS, Martha wondered if she was still at risk.

"Doctor, in the TARDIS, I heard the drums for a moment, and then they disappeared, almost like she was blocking them for me," she said. "I didn't realize what it was at the time, but it must have been the after effects of this subliminal thing. Can't you do something like that on a global scale and stop him?"

The Doctor's face went blank and when he responded his mind seemed to be very far away. "She's been captured Martha. I can't do something on that scale without her help." She rose to put a comforting hand on his arm, and he blinked, seeming to come back to the present. Looking down at the rings in his hand he took her hand in his before slipping one of them onto her right middle finger.

She stared at it before looking back up at him in confusion. "What's this for?" Martha whispered.

The Doctor hugged her tight and then released her before walking around the room, depositing a ring in front of Jack, Tosh, Owen, and Rhys.

"It's a small scale filter, should protect the mind of the wearer from being affected by the network," he said, before handing the last one to Ianto. "For Rhia's husband," he stated, and Ianto placed it in his pocket.

"But why do I need one?" asked Jack. "I had some training at the Time Agency, so I really shouldn't be affected."

The Doctor turned to him and shook his head. "At your core, even with what the TARDIS and Rose did to you, your mind is still human, Jack," he said. "There are far too many secrets in that head of yours, and we can't take any risks." Jack stared at the ring for a minute longer before placing it on his right hand.

"But are you sure they'll work?" Rhys asked, rolling the ring around his palm.

"There's only one way to find out," replied the Doctor. "Go ahead and place it on Gwen's hand. Once she's awake, we'll know for sure." Rhys nodded and moved to bring her up to a sitting position before placing the ring on her right hand. He brushed a strand of hair from her face and kissed her forehead before moving back.

As the others moved around the table to watch, the Doctor moved forward and aimed his sonic screwdriver at Gwen. A gentle hum filled the room as he ran it over her head.

"That should do it," said the Doctor after a few moments. Turning it off again, he stepped back to allow Rhys to crouch in front of her.

Gwen blinked, her eyes opening slowly before they widened to see Rhys in front of her. She lunged forward and held him tight, eyes shut as tears ran down her cheeks.

"You're safe," she whispered and kissed his cheek before hugging him again. "Oh God Rhys, the drums they were so loud and they told me to do horrible things, Saxon said you were in danger, and then Jack tried to stop me and…"

Looking over her shoulder she saw Jack and the others standing around them. Clinging to Rhys's arm she pushed herself back against the wall in fear.

"Calm down love," Rhys said trying to soothe her. "It's all right. Everything's fine. Saxon had you under some kind of mind control, that's what the drums were. He was using you to bring down Torchwood. You're safe now. No one is going to hurt you."

She looked at him and then back up at Jack. "I shot you," she said, confused.

"Hurt like hell, too," Jack said arms crossed and a cheeky grin on his face. "I'd prefer if you don't do that again."

Gwen stared at him. "But how are you standing there? I don't understand." She continued to cling onto Rhys like a lifeline and stared at the rest of them, her gaze falling on the Doctor and Martha.

"Who are they?" she asked.

"I'm the Doctor, and this is my friend Martha Jones," the Doctor said with a soft smile. "Tell me, Miss Cooper, can you hear the drums anymore, or have they stopped?"

Gwen concentrated a moment, reaching to the space in her head where the drums used to pound. When she found nothing there, she sniffed, holding back tears as she looked up at the Doctor. "No. How did you stop them? It was awful," she said, trying not to cry as Rhys pulled her into his arms once more.

"The ring on your hand," said Martha, holding up her own. "The Doctor made them. It blocks the subliminal message Saxon or as we now know him, the Master, is sending out so that he can't control you."

Gwen stared at the ring on her hand before turning to Rhys. "So everything he said, about Denjiro being a terrorist and you being in danger, and aliens invading Torchwood, none of it was true?"

Rhys looked at the Doctor, who shrugged, before turning back to Gwen. "Well, Den's not a terrorist, and Torchwood hasn't been invaded," he said, pulling her to her feet. "But as to aliens; it's a bit complicated." He paused, at a loss for words.

"I'm a Time Lord," blurted out the Doctor. Rhys smiled at him in thanks. "That blue box that the Master was after is my spaceship," he said. "She's called the TARDIS, the best ship in the universe. Martha here has been travelling with me through time and space." He hugged Martha to him and she smiled up at him fondly. Seeing the confused look on Gwen's face, he Released Martha and continued.

"We came here following a signal from a race similar to mine that I thought was extinct. Turns out there are still a few of them left. They've been living among you, hidden peacefully for quite some time." He looked pointedly at Rhys. Gwen's eyes went wide and she dropped Rhys's hand.

"He can't be. He's not…," Gwen stuttered, taking a step away from him and starting to panic. Rhys stood still, saying nothing. Gwen took a deep breath and tried to start again.

"Is it true? You're an alien?" she asked, searching Rhys's face as if waiting for a third eye or a tentacle to emerge from his forehead.

"It's true, love," he responded, keeping his voice calm. "I wanted to tell you on our anniversary, but when you came back from the Beacons you were so lost and distant. I didn't want to make things worse."

Seeing the sincerity on his face, Gwen made a decision. "Show me," she said.

Rhys held her gaze for a moment and then closed his eyes. The room pulsed with power, and Gwen glanced around looking for the source, before her gaze settled back on Rhys. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand before stepping forward to place a shaking hand to his cheek.

"Nothing too scary, I trust?" he asked as he smiled down at her. Shaking her head, she took her hand from her mouth, and pulled him to her, kissing him soundly.

As they kissed, an image of Jack trailing kisses down his spine filled Ianto's head and he blushed. The Doctor chuckled, and Ianto blushed even deeper. Rolling his eyes in embarrassment at Jack's smug look, he turned back to Gwen and Rhys.

Coming up for air, Gwen leaned back and laughed, wiping the tear from her face.

"So still the man of your dreams, then?" Rhys asked, eyes twinkling. Gwen smiled up at him and reached to stroke the chocolate brown feathers of his wings.

"Must be the wings. Ladies always seem to love the feathers, wouldn't you say, boys?" he said, winking first at Den and than Ianto. Gwen turned to them, confused.

"You-You're like Rhys?" she asked, suddenly overwhelmed.

"We are both Aderyn, if that is what you mean," responded Den. "It is not often that we reveal ourselves, Miss Cooper. Rhys must hold you in high regard to allow our secret to be known."

Gwen looked to Ianto, who gave her a soft smile in response, and then back to Rhys. "So Saxon called you terrorists so that he could find you, is that it?" she asked, looking uncertain.

"Might have been his plan," replied Rhys. "He's a right nutter from what I've heard so who knows? Looks like he was only onto Den, and didn't know for sure about the rest of us; we need to keep it that way."

Gwen nodded. Rhys winked at her before closing his eyes and returning to his human appearance. He opened them again to see Gwen smiling up at him.

"That's so cool!" she exclaimed, grinning like a loon.

Owen rolled his eyes. "Right, now that the domestics are over, I'm assuming that you lot have a plan of some sort?" he said, dropping himself back into his chair. The others resumed their places around the table, with Gwen at Rhys's right and Ianto and Denjiro resuming their posts against the wall behind him.

As Jack sat down across from Rhys, it finally dawned on him that they were standing on either side of Rhys, like sentries. He was about to ask them about it when the Doctor interrupted him.

"You mentioned that the title of Brenin would be passed on next week," said the Doctor looking at Rhys. "I can only assume that you are holding a gathering for the occasion."

Rhys's eyes narrowed and he sat tall in his chair, arms crossed in front of him and head held high. "It's customary to do so," he replied. "Why do you ask?"

"If I recall correctly, guardians from all bloodlines must be present if the passing of the title is to be official," the Doctor said keeping his face neutral. "As it has been some time since the title was passed on, this should be the first full gathering you have had in quite a while."

"Get to the point," Rhys said tersely, not giving anything away.

"The way I see it, right now our assets are Torchwood, a Time Lord, and the Aderyn," replied the Doctor. "But what I don't know is how large the Aderyn forces truly are." Rhys kept his face neutral and didn't answer.

Receiving no response, the Doctor continued. "As acting Brenin, you have authority over the guardians. Since most of them will be at the gathering next week, and the Master will probably make a move soon, time is short. We need to know, how many fully trained guardian warriors do you have at your command, Lord Rhys?"

Rhys didn't move. Jack looked from Rhys to Ianto and back again. Ianto remained silent, waiting for Rhys to answer.

Feeling the tension fill the room, Jack decided to break it.

"What exactly is a Brenin?" he asked, hoping Rhys would answer him.

Rhys held the Doctor's gaze a moment longer before turning to face Jack. The eyes that regarded him held the same sense of timeless power as the Doctor's and for the first time Jack realized that the man in front of him was much more than just the jovial manager of a lorry company.

"In Welsh, a close approximation of our native language, it means Chief or Monarch," Rhys replied. Jack swallowed and looked to Ianto and Denjiro. His earlier observation rang true. They weren't just standing behind Rhys like sentries. They were doing more than that. They were_ guarding_ him.

"Does that mean that you are their ruler?" asked Gwen from beside him.

Rhys kept his focus on Jack and answered. "Lord is the preferred term, and I am only acting Brenin until next week, when I formally take up the title, but yes, I am the current leader of our people."

"Oh," she said quietly, looking pale and unsure once more. Rhys reached for her hand and gave it a small squeeze of reassurance before he continued.

"To answer your question Doctor, there are currently twenty fully trained guardian warriors among us and three in training," he said before glancing over his shoulder at Denjiro and Ianto. "That does not however include Denjiro, Ianto, Rhiannon, and me, who as holders of the affinity stones will represent the bloodlines as necessary."

The Doctor stared, stunned, at the three men, and glanced at Ianto.

'_All three of you?'_ he asked Ianto mentally.

'_And Rhia as well,'_ Ianto responded_. 'But Denjiro and I are the only ones with any training in how to wield them.'_ The Doctor held his gaze a moment longer before returning his attention to Rhys.

"The stones can be dangerous without proper training," said the Doctor. "Ianto and Denjiro seem to have the ability, and I can help you to focus and train with them, but with the Master having possession of the TARDIS, there may not be enough time to train you and Rhiannon properly."

Rhys nodded. "What you say is known, and there are amongst the elders two former wielders who could help," he said. "I suggest we table this matter until the gathering when they are present."

The Doctor moved to argue, but seeing Rhys's expression, decided to concede the point for now.

Jack had had just about enough politics for one evening. "That's all fine and good, but what about Torchwood?" he said, making sure that they had a say in the proceedings. "Hart mentioned that he knew where we were, we need to be prepared for when he makes a move against us."

The Doctor looked thoughtful. "Most of what you have in the archives can be time locked correct?" he asked Ianto.

"That's correct," Ianto answered. "I sent the time-lock seal device over from Torchwood One when it fell. It can be installed within an hour and keep the archives time locked until the proper bio signature unlocks them."

"We have that kind of technology here?" Jack stared at him in surprise.

"Of course. Everything I sent over from One before it fell was from the secure archives," replied Ianto. "Most of it requires further research, but being a Time Lord, I am certain that the Master could do a lot of damage if he got his hands on it."

"Let's get that installed right away, and only leave the Doctor, you, and myself with access to the archives for now," said Jack. Ianto nodded.

Tosh, who had been silent for most of the meeting, spoke up. "I've been analyzing the Archangel network. It's an amazing piece of engineering." She glanced up and saw the horrified faces surrounding her. "Horribly evil, but amazing none the less." Seeing them relax a little she continued. "There is only a small loop hole in it, a frequency just small enough to slip a radio wave through, but only with a distance of about 15 miles or so."

Jack grinned. "Great work, Tosh, you and the Doc get on this and see if we can come up with some kind of comms that work outside of the network. We're going to need to be able to reach each other when whatever the Master has planned goes down."

Owen pointed at Gwen. "I want to do a full scan and see if the subliminal network affected anything else; if there is an organic component we need to know." Gwen, still feeling sheepish for what she had done under the Master's influence, didn't argue.

Owen turned to Martha and smirked. "Care to assist Miss Jones?"

"But of course Doctor Harper," she replied with a grin.

"I'm going with you," said Rhys standing up to join them. "After that I am taking her home," he added looking pointedly at Jack.

"The gathering is next Saturday, Ianto has the details," he continued. "Doctor, you and Miss Jones are welcome to attend." The Doctor nodded his acceptance and Gwen nudged Rhys's shoulder. He chuckled and shook his head at her rapidly returning pushiness before addressing Jack. "Torchwood is welcome as well. As much as I don't like bringing in outsiders, until we know what the Master has planned, we need to stick together on this." He paused and looked sternly at both Owen and Jack. "Don't betray the trust we have shown you."

Turning to Den and Ianto, he said a few words to them in Welsh, before Owen led Martha, Gwen, and Rhys out the door to the med bay.

Jack stared after them before turning to Ianto "What was that all about?"

Ianto looked at Den, and then back at Jack. "The guardians are to begin training immediately. We're to meet him tomorrow night."

Den said something in Japanese to Tosh, and then nodding at Jack turned to take his leave.

"He's going to collect the guardians in training from a small island in the Outer Hebrides," Tosh said watching him leave the Hub. She turned back to Ianto, worry evident on her face. "It's remote enough that they can practice without being seen, but he'll be out of contact until they return."

"He'll be fine Tosh," said Ianto as he walked around to place his hand on her arm. "He knows what he's doing, and anyone who gets in his way is in for trouble." Tosh smiled at him before looking down to compose herself and then back at the Doctor.

"Shall we head to your station and solve that comm issue, Miss Sato?" asked the Doctor holding out a hand to help her up. She grinned at him and gathered her laptop before taking his hand and following him out of the room.

Seeing that they were alone, Jack turned to Ianto. "Practice starting tomorrow, huh? I take it that there won't be time for our date then?" He sounded a little hurt. Ianto reached for his hand and took it in his own.

"I'm sorry Jack, but this is important. Some of these guardians haven't been on a battlefield in decades, and we're going to need every one of them ready to fight." He looked down at their joined hands.

"How about I make it up to you by asking you to be my escort to the gathering next Saturday," he asked, looking up at Jack through his lashes with a small smile on his face.

Jack grinned. "Does that mean that you are taking me out on a date?"

"Something like that," he replied and leaned in closer to brush a gentle kiss to Jack's lips before pulling back to smirk at him. "And this is a formal occasion, _Captain_ Harkness, so I expect to see you in full dress uniform."

"If you play your cards right, _Guardian_ Jones, you might just see me out of it too," Jack responded with a grin, and kissed him hard in response.

"Oi! If you're done playing kissy-face, some of us are trying to stop a maniac Time Lord without the aid of caffeine. We can't focus without wing-boy's coffee, so get your paws off him Harkness so that he can make another pot!" hollered Owen, glaring up through the glass walls of the conference room and shaking an empty coffee pot at them.

Ianto turned red and moved to leave. "Right, work to do," he said, before heading to the kitchen.

Jack chuckled and shook his head, following him down the stairs.

* * *

John Hart stood against the wall with his arms crossed. He had brought the blue box, which he now knew was a TARDIS, back to the _Valiant, _and was watching as the Master continued to wave about his laser screwdriver in his latest effort to get inside.

Sighing in boredom he glanced across the room to find Lucy watching him. His hand flexed involuntarily, and he grimaced in pain before he could stop himself. Her eyes briefly flashed red and she smiled at him condescendingly before turning back to her husband.

"There has to be something I'm missing!" yelled the Master as he kicked a trash bin into the TARDIS and began to pace in front of her.

"Temporal dynamics aside, kicking and banging on something is not the best way to get it to cooperate," snarked Hart, watching the escalating tantrum as the Master threw a chair and a desk against the wall beside him.

Suddenly the Master stopped and looked at Hart.

"That's it!" he exclaimed and with a manic grin grabbed Lucy and danced with her around the room. He kissed her hard enough to bruise her lips before pushing her away. Reaching inside his jacket pocket, he took out his fob watch, and pulled a Yale key from inside the back panel.

"Wonder if she'll like the touch of another TARDIS's key in her lock," he said, holding up the key and smiling wickedly at Hart. John shivered in disgust at himself. He was always attracted to power and the Master was no exception. Seeing his expression, the Master grinned wider before turning to Lucy.

"A kiss for good luck," he said, holding the key out to her. Eyes never leaving the Master's face, Lucy brought the key to her lips and kissed it softly. He looked over at Hart and winked, before walking back to the TARDIS and fitting the key to her door.

The TARDIS seemed to shudder for a moment in protest as he put the key into the lock. Hart and Lucy crept closer and watched with bated breath as the key turned and the lock clicked open.

A gleeful grin covered the Master's face, and he pushed the door open.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

**A/N:** Many thanks to the fabulous sparking_off for beta-ing. Any mistakes left are all mine.

The rating will change within the next two chapters, but anything NSFW will be marked and posted as a stand alone chapter so that you can read as you will.

Things have been a little chaotic lately, so updates are going to be mainly on Fridays for a bit. Reviews are always great! Thanks for reading!

**

* * *

Part 16a**

* * *

The ground shook beneath him, and Ianto barely had time to duck before the next offense began. Crouching low behind a rusted truck, he made his way slowly to the edge of the broken tailgate, attempting to get a glimpse of his attackers. A boulder, followed by a shard of ice, a bolt of lightning, and a ball of fire, all sped past. He grinned, identifying their point of origin as a large rock across the quarry. Launching himself high into the air, he kept his gaze fixed on the rock. Holding his hands in front of him, he fired a series of energy blasts directly at it, effectively shattering the rock, and exposing his opponents. As they made ready to fire another volley, he quickly formed an energy barrier to surround them, trapping them where they stood.

"Nicely done," said Rhys, gliding over to hover next to Ianto. They watched as one of the four trapped guardians attempted to break the barrier, only to receive a slight shock and be thrown back onto the ground. Rhys chuckled, and Ianto grinned before shaking his head. It had been too easy to beat them. They had been training for five days straight; they should not have been caught in such a simple trap.

"We need more time," he said, looking to where several other teams of four were going about similar exercises with somewhat limited success. Rhys followed his gaze before pointing to a group at the far end of the quarry floor. They were some of the oldest guardians present, and had been among those born on Talfryn before the fall. Upon closer examination, they seemed to be working together, using their various talents to offset, and complement, rather than counter-act, each other.

"That's what we need to see the rest of them doing," observed Rhys. Ianto nodded his agreement.

"Care to do a little demonstration and show them how it's done?" Rhys asked with a grin. Ianto chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"You just want an excuse to blow something up don't you?" he joked.

Rhys' smile grew wider and he patted the two-handed axe at his belt. "Meilyr here, has been itching for a little use. I see you brought your Ceri out to play too." He gestured to the sword strapped to Ianto's waist.

"I think we need to show them that the elements aren't the only weapons usable in battle." Ianto raised an eyebrow and didn't respond. "Besides, Rhia has been doing amazingly well as a healer," Rhys continued. "If we cock anything up, she has three days to make sure we're good as new before Saturday."

Ianto watched the teams a moment longer before sighing and turning to Rhys. "It would seem that we don't have a choice," he admitted. "They have to be ready. We have two weeks before the election, and the Doctor has the same sense of unease about the time streams as I do. If that means you and I get a scratch or two to drive the point home, so be it."

Rhys grinned and punched Ianto in the arm. "That's the spirit. Nothing like seeing your future leader take down the supposed 'future saviour of the race', to get them motivated," he said with an evil grin.

Ianto looked to the trapped guardians below, and released the barrier with a flick of his wrist before turning back to Rhys. "You might be bigger and stronger than me, _my Lord_," he said with a smirk. "But you certainly aren't faster." He winked at Rhys and flew at breakneck speed to the other side of the quarry.

"Cheeky bastard," muttered Rhys before hollering to the battered guardians below him to meet at the far side of the field for a demonstration.

_

* * *

_

_Aderyn Healing Center - Newton House - Two days later_

"And just how the hell am I supposed to fix all of this before tomorrow?" asked Rhiannon, shaking her head as she looked over Ianto's battered wing.

"You should see the other guy," Ianto winced in reply.

"Shuff fup, 'oo fosser!," said Rhys from the bed beside him. They had spent the better part of the last two days being targets for group battle tactics exercises, encouraging the others to work as a unit against them. They made a game out of it, seeing who could take down more units, and encouraging the guardians to come at them with increasing ferocity. That had all changed this afternoon, when Ianto and Rhys had slammed into each other at full force while flying through a fog bank. Ianto's left wing was bent at an odd angle, and his fist was wrapped in gauze with two broken fingers. Rhys, on the other hand, had a black eye, a jagged cut down his arm, and a swollen lip from where his face had collided with Ianto's fist.

Rhia gently ran her hand over Ianto's wing and tried to straighten out the fragile bones, only to hear him yelp in pain. She sighed in frustration and turned to Elder Nerys, who was watching her work.

"It's fractured. I can fix it, but I don't know that I can make it strong enough for the gathering tomorrow. Can you possibly handle this while I take a look at his puffiness over there?" she asked, gesturing to Rhys.

"Normally I would have you try anyway, but given the circumstances, I'll handle it," answered Nerys, moving to place her long fingers along Ianto's wing. She told him to hold still, and as he did, warmth flowed over his wing as the bones underneath knitted together. When she finished, he flexed it experimentally and was pleased to see that only a soft ache remained.

"It won't be 100 percent until you rest it a day or two," she said. "Try and keep the flying to a minimum, and no battle work for the next two days." Patting his arm, she fixed his hand as well before stepping back once more. Ianto nodded and thanked her, before turning to watch Rhia work on Rhys.

His sister had come a long way. As her confidence in her abilities grew, so did the strength of her healing. As he watched, a faint blue light emanated from her hands as they moved over Rhys's arm, stopping the bleeding and leaving his skin whole once more. Once that was done, she took a step back and squinted as she took in the black eye and puffy lip.

Rhys smiled lopsidedly at her, and she burst into laughter. "Wot? Ifs nof fhaf baf, ifs if?" he asked, and Rhia started laughing again. Rhys's eyes narrowed and he looked at Ianto.

"Hey don't blame me, you're the one who wanted to go full out," said Ianto, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I'm not the one who looks like he locked lips with a puffer-fish."

Rhys attempted a scowl, and this time Ianto started to laugh as Rhia attempted to undo some of the damage. "Hold still," she said, placing her hands over his eye. "This shouldn't take long, and then you can verbally abuse my brother with something other than a three-year-old's lisp."

Once the eye had healed, she gently took away the ice pack he had placed against his mouth and replaced it with her hand. Within moments, his face was back to normal, and he started moving his lips into a familiar grin.

"That should do it," she said, taking her hands from his face and running them under some cold water to clean them. "I should tell you to keep the talking to a minimum so that the heal holds, but knowing you two, that's too much to ask."

"Too true," said Rhys as he stood from the bed. "I'll give you this round, Jones, but next time, I say we keep it on the ground and elements only," he said, grabbing Ianto's arm and hauling him from the bed. "Aleta and Den are waiting to toast our bravery in the lounge, best not to keep them waiting."

"Behave yourselves, and no more fighting until Monday. Understood?" said Rhia, hands on her hips. "You two need to look presentable tomorrow, and I don't want to see any more black eyes until after the gathering is over, got it?" The two of them nodded, looking like guilty schoolboys, before turning tail feathers and running from the room.

"The future of our race," muttered Rhia with a huff. "Gods, Nerys, let's hope that they can handle the responsibility." The Elder chuckled in agreement as they cleaned the infirmary for the next patient.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

**A/N:** Many thanks to the fabulous sparking_off for beta-ing. Any mistakes left are all mine.

The rating will change within the next two chapters, but anything NSFW will be marked and posted as a stand alone chapter so that you can read as you will.

Things have been a little chaotic lately, so updates are going to be mainly on Fridays for a bit. Reviews are always great! Thanks for reading!

* * *

**Part 16b**

* * *

The moon shone high and the night was clear as the evening of the gathering arrived. Torchwood Three, Martha, and the Doctor had arrived outside what looked like a rundown estate, wondering if they had the right address.

"Doesn't look like much," said Owen, glancing up at the dilapidated roof and the tilting north tower.

The Doctor held out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the door in front of him. "Perception filter over the whole place," he said, putting it back in his pocket. "Hiding in plain sight, bet you it's bigger on the inside too," he added, winking at Martha.

The main door opened and they were escorted inside and into what appeared to be a ballroom. The Doctor had been right. The entire building was immaculate and none of the shoddiness outside could be seen once inside the walls. As they looked around the room, Jack was suddenly glad that Ianto had asked him to wear his dress uniform for the occasion. Human and Aderyn men and women milled about, dressed as if they were at a charity gala or an awards banquet. He scanned the room for any sign of Ianto, disappointed to find that he wasn't there.

"He'll be coming in with Rhys," said Tosh from beside him. "As the only time based affinity wielder, he's a participant in the ceremony, so you probably won't see him until after." Jack looked disappointed and Tosh squeezed his hand in reassurance.

A red carpet ran from the doors at the end of the ballroom, to a small dais on the other side, and a band was ensconced on a balcony above the dais. Two guardians stood at either end of the carpet, keeping watch over the proceedings. Jack noticed that they, and several other Aderyn were wearing sleeveless, high collared, thigh-length jackets in a variety of colours. Pointing them out to the Doctor, the Time Lord explained that the jacket designated them as guardians and that generally the colour worn depended on the wearer's affinity.

A fanfare sounded, and the guests gathered alongside the carpet. The door opened, revealing an elderly looking man, with buttery brown wings. A simple crown made of golden vines and five gemstones rested upon his snow white hair.

"Lord Gryffud," the Doctor whispered as he passed them and made his way across the room to stand at the center of the dais. Surveying the crowd, he smiled with Rhys' easy grin.

"Welcome," he said, his voice strong and rich, belying his years. "It pleases me greatly to see all of you here. It has been a long journey for our people to reach this day. As we stand on the edge of another struggle, I am humbled to see that the next generation has risen so quickly to defend our people and our adopted planet. Please join me in welcoming the bloodline guardians that have chosen to lead our people and protect our world."

The door opened to reveal Denjiro adorned in the ceremonial robes of an edo period daimyo; samurai sword visible at his waist. Walking to the dais, he bowed briefly to Lord Gryffud before standing off to the side behind him.

A woman with sun-kissed skin and jet-black hair was next to approach. Wine red wings offset her black jacket. The hilt of a short sword was visible in the sheath that ran length of each of her knee-high boots. She bowed briefly as Den had done, and then went to stand beside him.

Rhia made her way forward next, escorted on Ianto's arm. Her deep blue jacket covered a black floor-length dress and she held a silver staff. She wasn't who Jack was looking at though; as soon as he had seen Ianto, he was transfixed by how different he looked.

His red jacket was trimmed in swirling circles of gold, and the black leather pants and boots he wore beneath it, a far cry from his conservative suits. A sword hung at his side, and his hair was slightly longer; seeming to curl just over the top of his ears. The gold bands that encircled his biceps showed off his arm muscles, and Jack heard the Doctor gasp as he walked past them. Jack waited for an explanation, but instead he waved him off, muttering something about impossibilities, Time Lords, and sneaky scientists. Seeing that an answer would have to wait, Jack looked back to see them taking their places on the other side of Den.

The fanfare sounded again, and Rhys came striding towards them, dressed similar to Ianto, only in forest green rather then red. Reaching the dais, he knelt on one knee before his father, waiting for him to speak.

"Fellow Aderyn, the time has come to pass on the mantle of Brenin," said Lord Gryffud. "Over the last two centuries, Rhys has proven time and again that he is more then worthy of this task, and I am honored to pass the earth affinity stone to his care."

Reaching behind his head, he took the stone from his neck and placed it gently over Rhys'. Once this was done, he took the crown from his brow. Turning to the guardians behind him, he spoke again.

"Representatives of the bloodlines, do you acknowledge Rhys as Brenin, and agree to follow him as Lord of our people?" he asked, holding the crown out to them.

As the crowd watched, they each in turn held up their hand and shot a small burst of light towards the gemstone on the crown corresponding with their affinity and stated, 'I will.'

By the time Lord Gryffud had turned back to his son, all of the gems on the crown were sparkling with light from the promises therein. Only Earth remained.

"As the representative of the Earth bloodline, I acknowledge you, and pledge that we will follow and trust in your guidance, as you lead us into the future," he said, causing the final gemstone to alight before placing the crown on Rhys' head.

As he did so, all of the gems on the crown pulsed as one, and Rhys rose to stand beside his father.

"May I present to you Lord Rhys, Brenin, and leader of the Aderyn Race," Gryffud announced with pride. He bowed to his son and stepped down from the dais to join the elders below.

The audience clapped and cheered, and a final fanfare sounded in celebration. Rhys shook hands with each of his friends on the dais before addressing the assembly before him.

"My people, I-" he began, only to be interrupted as a flash of light flooded the space in front of him. All of the guardians immediately moved to line the carpet; weapons out and at the ready. Jack looked to Rhys, noticing that Ianto and Den had taken up positions on either side of him, with Rhiannon and the other woman beside them to close ranks; keeping their new leader safe.

The light faded, revealing John Hart and a blonde woman dressed in a red skirt suit. Knowing that anything involving Hart, meant the Master wasn't far behind, Jack made his way closer to where they stood, slipping his Webley from it's holster.

The woman stepped forward and the room stilled as she spoke. "I bring you greetings and a message, Lord Rhys, from the Master, Harold Saxon," she said, staring up at him.

Rhys, didn't flinch, only narrowed his eyes and glared at her. "And who are you to disrupt this gathering?" he asked her, demanding an answer.

Laughing, she held out her hand and a fire ball ignited inside of it. As he watched, red tipped wings of black appeared on her back and her eyes took on a red hue. The crowd gasped, realizing that this woman was one of their own. Enjoying their reaction, she smiled in satisfaction before speaking again.

"My name is Lucy Saxon, or as my cousin Aleta will tell you, it used to be Lucy Cole," she said, looking pointedly at the woman standing next to Denjiro.

Aleta stepped forward. "Where is your father?" she demanded. "As protector of the fire affinity stone, it was assumed that Lord Cole would be in attendance this evening. You should be in the care of healer Tanis. Where is he and why are you here?"

Lucy giggled. "Daddy couldn't make it. Harry thought he had too many ideas and needed to be taught a lesson." She played with the ball of fire in her hands, bouncing it back and forth as she spoke. "He taught him too well and Daddy died. Then Tanis went away and Harry gave the stone to me."

Aleta paled and tried to reason with her. "Lucy, you know the rules. If your father has passed, the stone goes to the next in line," she gestured to herself. "It was never yours."

"The stone is mine, you don't deserve it," Lucy snarled. The ball of fire grew larger in her hands and flames burned in her eyes. "Everyone always said I was broken, that I couldn't be fixed, but Harry believes in me. He loves me. Once he is in charge, you'll all see." Her eyes looked wild, and the power inside her was building, barely under control.

Rhys held up a hand, trying to diffuse the situation. "You said you brought a message," he said, keeping his voice calm. "What does this Master person want with us?"

Lucy stilled for a moment, as if trying to remember something, and the fire in her eyes died down as she began to speak. "In two weeks, he will be elected Prime Minister. He has made it so. On the morning that he takes office, the Aderyn will have a choice; join him or die." She smiled, proud of herself for getting it right.

Rhys crossed his arms and looked down at her. "And he would have us lay down our arms, give up our freedom, and follow him blindly into chaos rather then fight?" he asked her.

"He realizes the value of our people," Lucy replied with a smile. "By joining him, we can rule over this planet as we always should have, making the humans our servants, and only he will be the true Master." As she spoke, Jack and the Doctor, who had made their way to the edge of the dais, made their presence known.

"And why should they believe him?" asked the Doctor. "The Master did not stay and fight as Talfryn and Gallifrey fell. He ran. Now there are only two Time Lords left in the entire universe. He should be working with the Aderyn to help them, not coercing them into being his puppets and bringing this planet under his thumb."

Lucy turned an evil smile his way. "You must be the Doctor," she said, licking her lips. "He's told me about you. I've seen your TARDIS. All in pain and torn asunder to make the universe a prettier place."

The Doctor flinched and she tilted her head to regard him. "I wonder what it must be like, to feel that in your head, all that pain and all that time all at once. Should I help stop the pain for you?"

She raised her hand to throw a fireball at him, but found herself and Hart trapped inside an energy field instead. Frustrated, she started banging her hands against the walls and throwing fire at them, desperate to break free. When she found it was no use, she fell down to her knees and started to sob.

Hart came forward and put a hand to her shoulder trying to still her, only to flinch back as she singed his fingers and pushed herself to her feet.

The Doctor looked to Ianto, and saw that his hand was extended, holding the field in place. He nodded to him and moved to the front of the dais below Rhys. Jack stood beside him and saw Hart's eyes widen in recognition before gesturing to his wrist strap and pulling something from it. Jack's eyes narrowed, watching his movements for any sign of counter attack. Hart shook his head and placed whatever he had removed on the ground beside him, pointing to it and giving his former partner the drop signal. Jack nodded his understanding, hoping that no one else had seen the exchange.

Rhys had had about enough of the situation, and was ready to end it.

"Tell your Master-Saxon that the Aderyn will not be joining him," he said. "Earth is our home. Our families and friends will join us in protecting her from whatever harm he brings our way. You may have one of the affinity stones, but it will not be enough to stop us. Please consider what you are doing Lucy. We are your family, your _people_. We can help you fight him."

Lucy suddenly looked lost and unsure, and turned her unnerving gaze to the Doctor. "I made my choice. I am his faithful companion until the end. No one can change that now." She held his gaze a moment longer before backing up to place her hand on Hart's arm above his wrist strap. Resuming her human guise, she touched her hair to make certain that it was still in place. "Take us back," she said to Hart, before facing Rhys.

"Release them," Rhys said, and Ianto complied. Lucy glared at Ianto before looking back to Rhys.

"I will give your answer to my husband, though I cannot say that he will be happy to hear it," she said, her voice and stance once more calm and self assured. "I look forward to the day that you bow before him and realize that he is your Master after all." She smiled at him one last time before Hart activated the wrist strap and they disappeared.

As soon as they were gone, Jack rushed forward and picked up the item Hart had left behind. It was a digi-chip, a 51st century storage device. The Doctor was quickly by his side.

"He left that on purpose, then?" he asked Jack, eyeing the small chip in his hand. Jack nodded and pocketed it for the moment, as Rhys addressed the crowd.

"My people, I fear that dark times lie ahead. I cannot say what is to come, or what this rogue Time Lord has planned for our home, but I promise you to do everything within my power to stop him. I will not rest until all of you are safe," He scanned the crowd a moment and seeking out the Doctor's gaze, he continued. "No matter what may happen, know this, we will not let anyone take our freedom from us without a fight." A cheer ran through the crowd.

"Now then. This is supposed to be a party," Rhys said with a smile. "Even though darkness may challenge us, our spirits cannot and will not be broken!" Applause filled the room and the band began to play an upbeat tune.

As the guests began to mingle, Rhys made his way over to the Doctor and Jack, followed by Ianto.

"Let's give them tonight, but come morning, we need to go over everything you get off whatever that Hart fella dropped," he said, looking pointedly at Jack. "I'm not going to let some bloody fire harpy ruin what may be our last celebration for quite a while." he looked over to where Gwen was standing with Tosh and Owen.

"Make the most of it boys, for tomorrow the fun begins," He winked at Jack and, squeezing Ianto's shoulder, moved across the room.

"We really need to analyze that as soon as possible," said the Doctor. Jack looked past him to Ianto.

"It can wait, Doc. I have a feeling Rhys will want to see it the same time we do," he replied.

The Doctor was about to protest, when he noticed the look that passed between the two men. Feeling a little out of place, he quickly made his exit. "I'll just go see what Martha is up to, shall I?" he said glancing at them both before departing. Neither of them noticed.

"I like the sword," said Jack, still staring at Ianto.

"The uniform isn't half bad either," Ianto replied, looking Jack up and down.

Jack licked his lips, his eyes never leaving Ianto's. "Do you want to get out of here?" he asked.

Ianto smirked at him, and then sighed. "Wouldn't be very responsible of me would it? Need to make appearances and all that."

Jack reached out and took Ianto's hand in his own. "How long do you have to stay?"

"He doesn't," said Rhiannon, who, unnoticed by either of them, had walked up to stand beside them. They jumped apart, and she rolled her eyes. "If you two don't get out of here and make good on what may be your last chance before everything goes to hell, I am personally going to freeze both of your manly bits and refuse to thaw you out." Ianto's mouth dropped open in horror, and Jack chuckled. Rhiannon smirked.

"Oh go on, you two, get out of here. Johnny, the kids, and I are all staying here tonight, so you have the cottage to yourselves until morning. I am going to put up the strongest mental shields I have, so I fully expect you two to have a right proper night of it. Now get, before I change my mind!"

Jack grinned, and Ianto leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"You heard the lady," said Jack, holding his hand out to Ianto. "Shall we?"

Ianto smiled back at him and took Jack's hand into his own, pulling him up the stairs to the third floor balcony. Once they reached it, Ianto pulled him through the doors and placed his arms around Jack's waist.

"Fancy flying home?" Ianto asked, eyes sparkling in the moonlight.


	21. Chapter 21 NSFW

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.  
**A/N:** Many thanks to the fabulous sparking_off for beta-ing.

Any mistakes left are all mine. Updates will be mostly on Fridays from now on until real-life settles down a bit.

This is the first time I have posted anything adult for this fandom, so hopefully I didn't flub it too badly. Reviews are always great! Thanks for reading!

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**Part 17 **

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_"Fancy flying home?" Ianto asked, eyes sparkling in the moonlight. _

_

* * *

_

Jack drew Ianto to him, and whispered 'yes' against his lips, before covering them with his own. As he deepened the kiss, Ianto moaned into his mouth, the feeling of Jack touching him after being apart for a week overwhelming. After a few moments, Ianto pulled back, putting his arms around Jack's waist and resting his head on Jack's shoulder.

"Don't let go," he whispered into Jack's ear, bending his knees slightly and pushing them up and over the balcony railing.

Jack felt an involuntary rush of panic as he felt the wind rush up to meet them. Grasping tightly to Ianto's neck, he glanced over his shoulder at the ground below him, and shut his eyes. He braced himself for the customary impact, and hoped that Ianto wouldn't get hurt in the fall. But the fall never came. Cracking an eye open, he looked over his shoulder again, and saw that they were now high above Newton House, and gaining altitude.

"Don't worry, I've got you," Ianto said above him, chuckling slightly.

Jack put a hand on his head in an attempt to keep his hat in place, and turned to look up at the man above him, watching the quiet flapping of his copper-gold wings as they pushed them ever higher.

Sensing Jack's need to get his bearings, Ianto hovered for a moment and brought them upright. Jack continued to watch his wings flutter gently in the breeze, before seeing the amused expression on Ianto's face.

"What?" Jack asked, a smile creeping across his features. Ianto's smirk deepened.

"I'm just surprised is all," he replied.

Jack look confused. "What about?" he asked.

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you must know, _Captain_, I had assumed an intergalactic fly-boy like yourself would have been a lot more at ease with this," he said, barely containing his mirth.

Jack scowled at him. "You could have warned me. Normally when I do this, it's in a plane or a starship, this is a bit more-"

"Naturalistic?" interrupted Ianto, as the wind blew his curls across his forehead.

"I was going to say primal," Jack responded, pulling him closer. Ianto chuckled and captured his lips once more. Jack melted into him, his arms going down Ianto's body to rest on his waist. Keeping his grip tight around him, he looked at the world below.

"This is amazing!" he exclaimed in spite of himself, and Ianto turned him gently so that they were side by side.

"We can continue like this if you want, it's easier to see this way," Ianto said. Jack nodded. "No matter what, if you feel yourself slipping, just grab onto my hand, I won't let you fall."

"Well, it's not like it would matter really," Jack replied with a smirk.

"It would matter to me," Ianto replied, his gaze boring into his.

Jack swallowed, and glanced around him. A structure of some sort lay on top of a hill in the distance.

"What's that?" he asked pointing to it.

"That, is our next destination," he replied. "A quick stop there, and then home to Llandelio. You ready?" Jack nodded, taking off his hat and keeping it in his free hand. A gust of wind rose to meet them and Ianto leaned into it, riding the wind current with ease.

As the hill came closer into view, Jack saw that it was topped by a ruined castle. Ianto landed them gently on the remains of a tower.

"Where are we?" Jack asked looking down the hillside to the farmhouse below.

"Carreg Cennen," Ianto said, leaning against the parapet. "Remember the name. It's a tourist attraction now, but if you go down into the cave below it, some of its secrets remain." Jack looked confused. Seeing his expression, Ianto continued. "When the Aderyn first arrived, there was nothing but cottages and a small village in this area. This hill, and later on the castle, were built by us to hide the ship. Natural camouflage as it were." He stopped and looked down on the valley below.

"It's still there, hidden below the castle. It's considered a safe haven, a place of last resort. Should the planet ever be in mortal danger, it becomes a life boat, much like it was before." He sighed, and Jack moved toward him. "There are only a few of us that have access to it. At the meeting tomorrow, I am going to ask that you're added to that list."

Jack stared at him. "Why?" he asked. Ianto smiled.

"Because, you've been through enough Jack, and I know that you of all people would only want to use it to help. Rhys won't like it, the last non-Aderyn who had access was a Time Lord on Talfryn, and he tried to steal the ship for his own people. If the Doctor wants to see it, he is going to have a hell of a time convincing the elders to trust him."

"But why would Rhys trust me?" Jack asked. Ianto cupped his cheek with his hand.

"Because I'll vouch for you, and he trusts my judgement," he said.

Jack searched Ianto's face, and saw all of the things that he hadn't said reflected in the expression on his face.

"Take me home Jones, Ianto Jones," Jack whispered, reaching up to entwine his fingers in the curls at the back of his neck, before kissing him long and deep, leaving Ianto breathless. "I want nothing more then to bury myself inside you, and watch your wings shiver in pleasure as you come undone," he added, pressing their foreheads together and sending Ianto a mental image of exactly how he planned to make that happen.

Ianto stared at him, chest heaving and eyes filled with want. Before Jack could say anything else, Ianto crushed him flush against his chest and launched them off the tower and towards Llandelio as fast as his wings could carry them.

Landing at the cottage, Ianto released Jack for a moment to pull a well-worn key from his trouser pocket.

Glimpsing Ianto's leather clad ass made Jack anxious to get inside. He barely had time to cross the threshold before Ianto slammed him against the closed door, holding his hands above his head, and crushing their lips together. Jack whimpered, and Ianto released his mouth, keeping their lips close and Jack's hands pinned above him.

"I've been wanting to do that since we left the balcony," Ianto panted, flicking his tongue out to touch Jack's. Releasing Jack's hands, he drew his own slowly down Jack's chest, trailing hot kisses down his jawline and reaching to undo his belt. Jack dropped his hat on a nearby chair and threw the greatcoat beside it. Reaching down, he stilled Ianto's questing hands, and took them in his own. Ianto's brows knit in confusion, and Jack leaned forward to nip Ianto's bottom lip with his teeth.

"Bedroom," he whispered as he released it. Ianto smirked and hauled him upstairs.

After removing his sword belt and placing it on the dresser, Ianto turned to Jack, and began unbuttoning his uniform jacket, before grasping his tie with his fist, pulling him closer, and kissing him hard.

"Now I know why you wear these things," chuckled Jack, as they came up for air. Ianto raised an eyebrow.

"Giving you ideas, sir?" he said, undoing the tie and the collar of the shirt, while kissing his way down Jack's neck.

"A few," Jack responded as his jacket slipped to the floor, his tie quickly joining it. Ianto continued to undress him, until Jack stood in only his pants and shoes. Running his fingers over his chest and down his abdomen, Ianto reached for Jack's belt once more.

Grasping the buckle, he pulled Jack flush against him, kissing him hard enough to make their teeth clash. Jack made quick work of the clasps on Ianto's jacket, wanting to feel the hot skin beneath against his own. As the jacket fell open, he ran his hands over the muscles of Ianto's chest, across his hips, and down to cup his ass. Licking his way down his neck, he took one of his nipples into his mouth, swirling it with his tongue until Ianto moaned and thrust his hips forward in response. Jack grinned, and worked his way back up, biting and teasing until his lips ghosted against Ianto's.

"You're going to have to turn around if I'm going to get this thing off," he growled.

Ianto nodded, and turned to comply. Jack kept one of his hands on Ianto's hip as he undid the three clasps below each wing that kept the coat in place. Feeling the fabric give, he slid the jacket slowly down Ianto's shoulders and over his wings, tasting the warm flesh as it became exposed. Ianto leaned forward, placing his hands onto the dresser, giving Jack a perfect view of his flawless ass. Jack reached to stroke it's curves through the butter-soft leather, feeling himself harden at the fact that there was nothing beneath it but skin. Stroking his way up and down Ianto's thighs, he watched as the wings above him arched in response.

Remembering how Ianto reacted when he stroked them before, Jack gently licked and kissed his way up his spine, caressing the feathers on either side of him as he went. Ianto moaned low in his throat and his wings thrust out and back, covering Jack in their warmth. Continuing to stroke and tease the feathers, he kissed his way to Ianto's shoulder and met Ianto's turned head in a searing kiss.

Keeping one hand on the wings, Jack trailed the other around his waist until he had turned Ianto to face him. He released Ianto's mouth, and began to kiss his way down his chest, running his hands down the fly of Ianto's trousers, deftly undoing the buttons with his fingers. Ianto pulled him back up to his mouth and whimpered against his lips as Jack eased his hand inside the front of his trousers, cupping his balls and stroking his cock, making him instantly hard. Jack kissed his way back down, sliding the trousers down his hips just enough to leave Ianto fully exposed. Looking up, he saw Ianto watching him, face flushed and lips parted in anticipation.

Jack licked his lips, and flicked his tongue against the tip of Ianto's cock, watching it twitch in response. Ianto reached back to brace his hands on the dresser and watched as Jack licked him from base to tip, before sliding him inside his mouth in one luscious stroke. Ianto reached a hand forward to stroke Jack's his hair, and he gasped as Jack began to work his velvet tongue over his length. Encased in Jack's hot mouth, his hips bucked and Ianto moaned. Jack grinned wickedly before beginning an alternating assault of tongue, lips, and mouth, pushing Ianto closer to the edge. Feeling him near release, Jack grabbed Ianto's ass and thrust him hard into the back of his throat. Ianto yelped in surprise before coming hard and deep, thrusting wildly into Jack's mouth. Jack sucked and licking him, savoring every drop, before sliding back up Ianto's body to touch his mouth with a gentle kiss.

Giving him a moment to recover, Jack sat Ianto softly on the end of the bed. Leaning him back, he removed Ianto's boots and the leather trousers, peeling them off to reveal his iridescent skin. Ianto inched himself back to lean against the pillows, watching Jack as he removed the rest of his clothes. Finished, Jack piled Ianto's jacket and his own uniform on the chair beside the dresser before turning back to his lover.

The moon had risen in full, and the light shone through the window, covering Ianto in a preternatural glow. He lay on the crimson duvet, wings spread behind him and gold arm bands standing out against his pale skin. His hair was mussed, and his lips were red and swollen from being kissed. His left leg was bent and his right hand was raised, gesturing for Jack to join him. Jack held his gaze a moment longer, fixing the image in his mind.

"Gorgeous," he whispered, kissing his way up Ianto's leg. He stopped at his hip bone, and looked up into his lover's eyes. Ianto smiled down at him, before pushing himself up onto his elbows. Jack leaned forward to meet him in a soft kiss.

"I seem to recall something about wings curling," Ianto said between kisses.

"Well, best make good on that image then shall I?" Jack replied, with a wicked smile, reaching down to run his hand over Ianto's taunt stomach and grasp his hips. Ianto reached underneath the pillow behind him, and handed Jack a small bottle of lube.

Jack chuckled. "Always full of surprises."

Ianto sat up, and in one swift motion, flipped Jack over until he lay beneath him. "You'll find that there is a lot about me that you have yet to experience, _sir_," he said, drawing out the r and licking his lips.

Not giving Jack a chance to respond, Ianto began kissing and licking his way up and down his body, playing with nerve endings and nipping at his neck, nipples, and thighs, until Jack was a quivering mass of need. Moving up to straddle Jack's stomach, he took the bottle of lube from Jack's clenched hand and coated Jack's fingers with it, guiding them to his entrance. Leaning forward, he kissed Jack's panting mouth, and lifted his ass slightly to give Jack better access. As Jack began to prepare him with his fingers, Ianto reached back, and stroked Jack's cock with his lube covered hand, making it twitch in response. As Jack began to thrust into his hand, Ianto slowed his ministrations, not wanting him to come until they were both ready for it.

Jack growled in frustration, and thrust his fingers deeper into him, hitting his prostrate and causing Ianto's back and wings to arch in response. Ianto released him and fell forward onto his hands, breath ragged as Jack thrust his fingers into him and stroked his prostrate relentlessly. Feeling himself hard and leaking with need, he reached for Jack's hand and gently pulled it from himself, lifting Jack up onto his elbows before leaning down to share a kiss. Deepening the kiss, he reached back, and stroked Jack's aching cock once, before lifting himself and guiding it home.

Breaking the kiss, they rested their foreheads against one another, relishing the sensation of being joined. Jack thrust his hips up, and Ianto gasped and looked down into eyes as golden as his own. Jack sat up and held Ianto to him as he clenched around him. They moved together, setting a fast and feverish pace, and as Ianto leaned back to take him more fully, he felt his wings curl above him, quivering and shaking with the intensity of their lovemaking. Jack felt the warm heat of his orgasm build inside him, and Ianto reached for him, tongues duelling and mouths clashing as they neared completion. The warmth inside them grew molten, and suddenly both of them were filled with light; the song of time caressed their minds and drew their souls together and they came as one.

There was no beginning and no end. Everything was felt as one being, every sensation, every touch, both timeless, and eternal. Time stopped, and they became a part of it; one with the song of time and the very fabric of the universe. Ever so slowly, the song faded, and the light dimmed, leaving two lovers, sharing one heartbeat, lying spent and sated wrapped in a pair of golden wings.

Lost and alone in a dark corner of the _Valiant_, the entity known as the TARDIS, trapped inside an abomination called a paradox machine, shed a tear of joy and smiled.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

**A/N:** Many thanks to the fabulous sparking_off for beta-ing. Any mistakes left are all mine.

Your comments and reviews are always helpful. Thanks so much for reading.

* * *

Part 18a

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Ianto's nose twitched. He felt something brush down it and he twitched again before batting it away, only to hear a low chuckle. Blinking himself awake, Ianto found himself looking up at a very bemused Jack Harkness.

"About time you woke up," Jack said, propped up on an elbow and twirling a feather between his fingers. "I've been watching you sleep for at least an hour."

"I take it you got bored, and decided tickling me with my own tail feather was a good plan?" he replied rolling his eyes and stretching his legs.

Jack grinned. "That was step one. Step two was saying good morning," he replied, and bent down to give Ianto a gentle kiss while running the feather down his cheek.

"Good morning," Ianto whispered against his lips before smiling at him. Jack returned it with one of his own; soft and unguarded, a look on his face that Ianto had never seen before.

"Last night was…" Ianto started and stopped, suddenly at a loss for words.

"Amazing is the word I would use," Jack replied, staring at him intently. "I have to ask though, is that normal? I mean, with Aderyn, is it always soul shattering, mind-merging, ecstasy?"

Ianto swallowed, almost afraid to answer. "No," he finally responded, searching Jack's face for his reaction. "It's never happened to me before, and no one I know has ever mentioned it." A myriad of emotions crossed his lover's face, and Ianto was worried that he had said too much, when Jack finally spoke.

"Thank you," he said quietly, before capturing Ianto's lips with his own.

'_Thank you for choosing me, thank you for this,' _he continued in Ianto's mind as he deepened the kiss.

'_You're welcome,'_ Ianto responded in kind, feeling Jack's hand trail down his chest. The familiar coil of heat flickered back into life inside him, and he moaned in response. _'If you don't stop it, we are going to miss the meeting and never leave this bed.'_

'_And that would be bad how?' _Jack asked, moving his hand to Ianto's hip.

Ianto pulled away and looked at him. "Rhys and the Doctor will probably throttle each other and we'll be left holding the pieces," he said, panting for breath. "As much as I hate to say it, we really do have to get a move on."

Jack pouted, and Ianto grinned at him, slapping his hand away as he tried to hold him in place. "Spoilsport," Jack said, sticking his lip out like a little boy. Ianto laughed and rolled off the bed.

"Oh, if the team could see the mighty Captain now. Pouting for not getting his way." Jack grabbed his arm and Ianto leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. "I'll make it up to you later, that's a promise," Ianto said huskily, before kissing him again.

"You better," Jack growled. Ianto smirked and walked to the dresser. "By the way," Jack said, flinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing up. "Is the color change permanent?"

Ianto stopped what he was doing and turned to face at him. "What color change?" he asked, confused.

Jack walked up to him and held up the feather he had been tickling him with earlier. "Your wings Ianto," he said gesturing over his shoulder as he held the feather in front of him. "They used to be copper, now they're golden."

Ianto stared at the gold feather, uncomprehendingly before his eyes went wide, and he dashed to the mirror on the back of his bedroom door. Sure enough, his wings had changed to a liquid gold color, as had the irises of his eyes. All traces of anything other than gold were gone. He held a shaking hand up to the mirror and traced the edge of his wing.

"What's happening to me?" he whispered, taking in his new appearance. He was so engrossed in his reflection, that he didn't realize Jack had come up behind him until an arm encircled his waist and Jack's head rested on his shoulder.

"So, not normal then," Jack said, meeting the frightened gaze of his lover in the mirror. Ianto shook his head, tears of confusion brimming in his eyes. Seeing his distress, Jack turned him away from the mirror and pulled him close. "We'll figure this out," he said, kissing him softly on the forehead, before tilting his face up to meet his own. "Red, purple, blue, green, gold, whatever, I don't care what color they are as long as they're yours," he said. Ianto laughed, blinking the tears away. Jack smiled and kissed him in reassurance. As Ianto kissed him back, and the slow burning flicker of heat inside him grew, the kiss became more intense. Reaching to encircle Jack's waist with his arms, he was suddenly very aware that he and Jack were still naked. Jack gasped as Ianto released him and began to trail kisses down his neck.

"What about the meeting?" he asked, trying to catch his breath. Ianto answered him, eyes molten and full of need.

"There is time enough for this. I don't know what the hell is happening to us, but I know one thing, I want you, I want to be with you, and I am not letting you go until I show you how much," Ianto replied, and captured Jack's lips in a searing kiss. The siren song of time called to them, and Jack felt something inside of him break free as Ianto slid his lips from his mouth, working his way up his jaw line. As he looked to the mirror behind them, Jack saw that his own eyes were as golden as his lover's. Jack turned back to him and they held each other's gaze, gold melting into gold. They smiled at each other, and as Jack drew him in for a kiss, Ianto was no longer afraid. Whatever was happening to them, they would face it together.

_

* * *

Strategy Meeting, later that morning – Newton House_

After resuming his human guise to avoid any questions, Ianto, and a once more blue-eyed Jack had managed to arrive just over half an hour late. As they took the two vacant chairs, they received a knowing smirk from Rhys, and a disapproving look from the Doctor. Once they were settled, the council resumed a heated discussion about potentially giving the Doctor access to the ship buried under Carreg Cennen.

"I said no!" said Elder Tharin, a broad-shouldered bear of a man with grey wings and fierce eyes, as he slammed his palm on the table. "I don't care how many times he has saved this planet. No Time Lord is getting their hands on the _Avalon_." He glared at the Doctor, and turned to Rhys. "It would do our Brenin good to remember that it was their lack of follow through that cost us our home in the first place." Rhys showed no emotion as the rant continued. "They always thought themselves better than us, flitting through time and space and forgetting what was happening at home until it was too late."

"But didn't you say that a Time Lord helped build the _Avalon_?" asked the Doctor. "Irina was your lead scientist certainly, but if this Time Lord worked so hard to build this sanctuary for you, why would another try and steal it?"

"Why indeed?" Tharin responded. "Because much like the Master, Time Lords are only out for what they could get from us, a means to an end. We may share a common ancestor, but Time Lords have always been a devious lot."

"Now hang on," responded the Doctor. "I happen to have known Irina, and I don't see her being fooled by some rogue Time Lord. Who was it that worked on the ship with her?"

All eyes turned to Gryffud, who had remained silent throughout the proceedings. He seemed lost in thought, and responded as if trying to grasp a far-off memory. "They engineered it together, borrowed time, never stolen, part of their plan, to fulfill the prophecy." Rhys turned to him and held his troubled gaze.

"What is it. Tad, what are you trying to say?" he asked. Gryffud had been so lucid during the ceremony yesterday, seeing him deteriorate so quickly back into his normal state of dementia was almost too much for Rhys to bear.

"Truth is where you least expect to find it," said Gryffud, staring pointedly at Ianto. "Time will bring you home," he added, turning away and playing with the piece of ribbon in his lap once more.

"Tad?" asked Rhys again, trying to get his attention. "We don't understand. Tad, please."

Gryffud smiled at him. "Is it time for my nap now?" the former leader asked. Rhys sighed in frustration.

"Sure, Tad. Nerys, can you take him?" The healer took him gently by the shoulders and started to lead him from the room. As they passed the Doctor, he stopped. "Even in the darkest hour, there is hope," he said, handing him the ribbon, and patting his hand, before walking away.

The Doctor stared at the ribbon, trying to discern the faded pattern woven into it.

Jack cleared his throat and brought their attention back to the matter at hand. "Maybe we should take a look at whatever it is Hart left us before we make any hasty decisions," he suggested, pulling the digi-chip from his pocket and placing it and his wrist strap on the table.

"Play it," said Rhys, giving Jack a nod of thanks for at least temporarily diffusing the situation.

Jack placed the chip inside his wrist strap, and the message started to play.

"If you're seeing this, then my plan succeeded," began Hart with a smirk. The image of a small black sphere floating down a corridor replaced him; blades poked in and out of it at different angles, attacking various creatures, and a laser shot from one side to scorch a door as it continued on and out of sight. "I don't know what you call these death balls, but the Master controls them. This is what I was running from at the Time Agency when I followed his temporal signal to try and stop him. I know for a fact he still has at least a few of these nasty buggers here on Earth."

Hart's image returned and he continued. "The agency is gone now," he said, stone-faced. Jack stared at his image, wide-eyed. Sensing his distress, Ianto squeezed his hand in support. "He wiped most of us out with these things when he stole Nixa's strap and jumped here." Hart scratched his head. "The strap burnt out when he got here and I destroyed it when I found it. Unfortunately, that also meant that he found me."

An image of the TARDIS was now visible. "He has plans, big plans for this ship. Something about paradoxes and drums," Hart said as the image faded. "Not quite sure what that means, but he's not exactly balanced, if you know what I mean. But he's clever, clever enough to scare even me." The Doctor nodded in agreement as the floor plan of the _Valiant _came up next.

"He's got it holed up here on the _Valiant_. Been working on her night and day, locking himself inside and not letting anyone in," John continued. "The odd thing is, if you listen, you can hear it, hear the ship. I think it's dying from what he's done to her." As he spoke, a tear fell down the Doctor's cheek. Hart turned as if to listen to something off-screen, before looking back with a sense of urgency on his face. "Look, I need to go. I don't know if this helps, but something is going to happen after he takes office; something big. I can't help you, but he disabled my strap and has a tracer on it. I can't go off-planet, or do more than simple teleports at the moment. For some reason he doesn't trust me," he smirked again. Jack chuckled.

"If you can, use this to trace me, and I might be able to find you. Trust no one. He has most of the world hypnotized, and it's almost as bad as Delfar-9. Hart out." The message ended and silence filled the room.

"Well?" asked Rhys looking to Jack for answers.

"He's lying," Jack said, taking the chip out and placing the wrist strap back on his arm. "Delfar-9 was a diversion mission we went on for the agency, a decoy. He must have known that the Master was on to him and he was lying to try and warn us not to trace him."

Rhys studied him, eyes narrowed. "And just who is this Hart to you, Captain?" he asked.

Jack chuckled. "My former partner, a swindler and a cheat, borderline insane, a liar, but when it comes to it, one of the few people in the universe, who would refuse to let an invasion stand. His entire family was wiped out by the Anaxi, and he doesn't take too kindly to dictators and despots," he said.

"So you think it was as much of a warning as misdirection, then?" asked the Doctor. "He certainly knew the right buttons to push with the TARDIS and the agency."

"Sounded somewhat scripted to me," interjected Ianto. "I think we were meant to find it. It's as if the Master wanted him to taunt us into finding him."

"But can we take the chance that we're wrong?" asked Tharin. "What if he has more of those things, and has plans of attacking our children with them? Are we to sit here and do nothing as he prepares for slaughter?"

"That's enough, Tharin," said Rhys calmly. "We need more information before we make any hasty decisions. Ianto, is your team ready?" All eyes turned to the young man in the pin-striped suit.

"Ready for your orders, sir," he responded, not looking at Jack.

"I want you to take them and get intelligence on the _Valiant_," said Rhys. "Since comms are only available short range, I want you to keep a message stone on you at all times, and I want codenames used effective immediately to help throw anyone listening off the scent." Ianto nodded, feeling Jack tense up in protest beside him.

"I realize that you feel you should accompany him, Captain," said Rhys, noting the angry expression on Jack's face. "But we need you here on the ground. Ianto has more than enough experience with reconnaissance; he can take care of himself." Before Jack could respond, he spoke again. "Jack, I need you and your team to work with the Doctor to help sort out anything you might have at Torchwood that can be used against the Master, and to help Tharin bring the _Avalon_ back online." Tharin opened his mouth to protest and Rhys held up his hand to forestall him. "I realize that this is not the way we've done things in the past, but we don't have time to argue. We need answers, and I'll be damned if this Master fellow is going to destroy everything we have built."

Rhys surveyed the three elders at the table before asking his next question. "What about the affinity stones?" We know so little about them. Can they be used to help?"

Etienne, not an elder himself, but the current historian of his people, spoke up. "Sirs, if I may?" he asked, looking to the elders for permission. Tharin, the most outspoken of the three, nodded. The bookish man adjusted his glasses and began to explain what he knew.

"The affinity stones give the wearer the ability to channel the very essence of their element. The ability to harness their element is not without danger. If too much power is accessed, the wielder will be overwhelmed, and they will be lost to their element, merging their energy with that within the stone forever." He paused, and seeing the grim faces around him, hastily continued. "An Aderyn, who has been sufficiently trained to use the stones, can do so without harm, but temptation to wield the power can be great. Someone with an unbalanced mind, such as Lucy Saxon, can be dangerous, as while she can wield the power of her element, she can't control it. If she remains in possession of it, the results could be disastrous. Since the stones can only be passed on willingly or through death to a new wielder, our options for getting to stone away from her are limited." Silence filled the room as all he had said sunk in.

"Lucy is a problem that we cannot solve today," said Rhys. "Denjiro and Ianto have some training, but Rhiannon and I have none. Can the three of you train us to at least wield them as a last resort?" He looked to the elders for a response.

Elder Garthor, a slender man with ebony skin, and wings of forest green, responded. "I can teach you, and Ceros here can help Rhiannon," he said, gesturing to the elder at his right. "It will still be dangerous. To avoid surrendering to the stones, you cannot take this task on lightly, it will take time." Rhys nodded, he had assumed this, but was hoping that they might have another answer.

"Alright then," Rhys said rising from the table. "Ianto, get your team in order, you leave at midnight tonight. Captain, I expect you and your team to have teleports ready from Torchwood to Newton House within 48 hours. Doctor, you and Elder Tharin are going to the _Avalon_ to see if you can get him up and running." The two glared at each other, and Rhys sighed. "He's been dormant for at least a thousand years, can the two of you at least _try_ not to give him a headache with your bickering as you bring him online?" he asked.

"No promises," replied Tharin.

"Ditto," said the Doctor.

Rhys shook his head in exasperation and looked to Jack. "Go with them. Try and get those two to at least attempt to talk to one another," he said. "If we can't at least try and work together, we'll bloody well fail before we even start." Patting Jack on the arm, he turned to go address the other elders and discuss his and Rhia's training.

Ianto had his professional mask in place, hiding the turmoil that churned under the surface with the need to prepare for the mission ahead. Jack saw Ianto's unspoken need for the mission ahead take precedence over everything else, nodding his understanding, he turned to address the still bickering Doctor and Tharin.

"Gentlemen, if you would care to follow me to the SUV, we can discuss this further once we reach our destination," he said, gesturing for them to follow.

The two men glared at him and then stalked past him and out of the room. Seeing them march side by side, neither one giving the other any quarter, Jack snickered and Ianto raised an eyebrow.

'_Centuries old and still acting like two-year olds,' _Ianto sent Jack, shaking his head. _'I can go with you as far as Llandelio, but I need you to drop me there so that I can gear up for tonight.'_

'_You are not leaving here without a proper good-bye, Guardian Jones,' _Jack responded as they left the room.

'_I'll hold you to that Captain,' _Ianto replied as they continued their way to the SUV. _'And you best start calling me by my codename; as of tomorrow, it's the only thing I'll answer to for quite a while.'_

'_Oh really, and what is it? Tiger-pants, Stopwatch, Golden eye?' _he asked a smile in his voice.

'_Nothing that obtuse, though mind you, Golden eye isn't half bad,' _Ianto replied._ 'At least mine is better than Rhys'. He got piss-drunk with a comic writer back in the 1940's, and spilled his guts. They writer used Rhys as the model for a hero in the series he was working on. His Tad apparently was irate for a decade. I think Rhys did it on purpose, though. He has a secret stash of books back at Gwen's. Even brought them out and a helmet he had made just like his alter-ego's that night Den gave us too much sake.'_

Jack opened the door to the SUV and ushered the Doctor and a now human-looking Elder Tharin inside; after he shut the door he turned to Ianto.

"So what's his codename then?" he asked aloud, clearly not getting what Ianto was driving at.

Ianto smirked at him as he answered. "Ever heard of _Hawkman_ Jack?"


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

**A/N:** Many thanks to the fabulous sparking_off for beta-ing. Any mistakes left are all mine.

I am heading out on vacation for a few weeks so the next update will be after July 6th. Reviews are always great! Thanks for reading!

* * *

**Part 18b**

* * *

By the time they reached Carreg Cennen, the Doctor and Tharin had regressed to grunting in response to Jack's questions instead of sniping at one another. Jack felt like he was babysitting, and wished Ianto had changed his mind and come with them. He only hoped that once they were inside, they could find some common ground.

Once they had closed the place for tourists for a routine 'cave inspection,' Tharin held up his hand to the cave wall, moving the rock aside to reveal a door. He fitted an octagonal key into the lock, and the door slid open, leading them into a huge cavern. As Jack looked around, he quickly ascertained that at one time this had been some kind of a bunker, or safe house. A tech station of some sort sat against the near wall, and rows of bunks lined the other side, near a make-shift infirmary. Even though the place had not been touched in centuries, everything stood dust free and ready for the occupants to return. They passed a greenhouse and a canteen as they made their way across the cavern floor, only to stop at the far side of the cave, where a gangplank led into a large silver craft. The vessel was massive, filling the rest of the cavern like a sleeping dragon. Tharin gestured them forward, and the Doctor almost skipped behind him, eager to see what lay inside.

As they entered the vessel, Jack felt a presence brush against his mind. He stopped in his tracks, as did the Doctor.

"What was that?" Jack asked, feeling it touch his mind again.

The Doctor didn't answer, merely followed Tharin as they made their way further into the ship. As they came to what must be the bridge, they stopped and Jack stared in confusion at the console. "But it looks like the TARDIS," he said gesturing to the column running through the center of the bridge, surrounded by gadgets and gizmos of all shapes and sizes.

"That's because it _is_ a TARDIS," the Doctor replied, his voice laced with awe. "But how did it get here? Why is it down here alone in the dark?" he asked, moving to touch the central column gently with his hand. The light inside it pulsed gently in response, as if waking up. "How did you lot get your hands on a TARDIS?" he asked Tharin.

Tharin crossed his arms and glared at him. "Irina built it, with help from one of yours," he answered gruffly. "A combination of Aderyn and Time Lord technology, fused together to keep us safe from the hell burning through the galaxy outside." He regarded the Doctor, eyes cold with memories of a war long gone. "The Time Lords were never supposed to know. Irina was afraid that if they ever found out, they would steal it, take it from us, and then tear it apart piece by piece," he added, daring the Doctor to disagree.

"You helped them build it didn't you?" the Doctor asked, turning from the console. Tharin didn't respond. "Well you were right to protect him. He's very handsome, and unfortunately the Time Council were never very good at seeing the beauty over the science of things," he mused, running his hand over the control panel.

Tharin tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at the Doctor. "You don't agree?" he asked him.

"Oh, regular rebel me," the Doctor replied with a grin. "Never did go in for all that bureaucratic hullabaloo. Always gave me hives." He shuddered. "Rather go out and explore it all myself, instead of taking some stuffed robe's word as law."

Tharin smiled in spite of himself. "He would have liked you, not one to hold much stock in the council himself. Probably why he disobeyed them and married Irina."

Jack's eyes went wide and he stared at Tharin in surprise. "What?"

"What's that?" echoed the Doctor, mouth dropping open in surprise.

"He said that I married Ianto's mother," said a voice from behind them. The Doctor and Jack turned as one to behold a man, made of light and wearing a suit, standing behind them. "Good to see you Tharin," the man said, nodding to the Aderyn behind them.

"But-but you're a TARDIS," stammered the Doctor, face scrunched in disbelief. "That's impossible, Time Lords can't become a TARDIS. A TARDIS is grown, it matures, has it's own personality..." He started to trail off before another thought struck him. "Who were you?" he asked, still not quite sure what to make of the entity in front of him.

The man's form grew more solid, not unlike the corporeal form of the TARDIS they had seen on the Plass. He regarded the Doctor with a raised eyebrow and a hint of amusement on his face. Jack was stunned by how much it reminded him of Ianto.

"Before I became a TARDIS, I was called the Engineer," he said, voice melodious with the time that flowed around him.

"But you can't be, he's dead," protested the Doctor. "At Arcadia, he was on the last ship to Talfryn, and it was shot down by Daleks, burnt to ash."

"I was," the figure nodded in affirmation while running his hand down the control panel. "This TARDIS was old and dying when we found her. We built the ship around her, propping her up and nursing her back to health. We saved her, but she was too weak to survive on her own. As her last act, she gave me a choice, and using every bit of power she had left, pulled my regenerative energy from the burning ship, and created a new TARDIS, one that was strong enough to protect the _Avalon_, and all inside her."

"It's true," Tharin confirmed. "He pulled us through time and space and brought us here. Irina and I, we kept his secret. Gryffud was the only one we told. We were afraid that if the Time Lords found out about him, they would attempt to study and destroy him. Somehow, one of you did and almost stole him from us. We caught him in time and wiped his mind before sending him back to Gallifrey, I'm not sure if it worked, but since they're gone now, we'll never know."

The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets, pacing and trying to process what he had heard, remembering Gryffud's words from earlier; he pulled out the worn ribbon that Gryffud had given him. "The child of time and TARDIS will save us all," he read aloud, from the battered cloth, before looking up at the TARDIS.

Tharin took it from his hand and studied it. "Gryffud had the sight once, but his mind is rarely lucid these days, it could mean anything," he said.

"But what does it mean? Does this refer to you?" the Doctor asked. The TARDIS shook his head.

"Possibly, but I don't think so," He looked thoughtful. "Irina was working in the TARDIS when it happened. I think she wanted to give Irina some comfort after taking me away from her." The Doctor stared at him in confusion. Smiling, the TARDIS continued. "Rhiannon was one, and Irina was pregnant. When she rewrote my DNA, it affected the baby too somehow. Ifan was born when we reached Earth. He was marked as a time wielder at birth, and to keep his origins a secret, I sent Irina and our children to the future, far enough away for me to be forgotten, and for him to have a chance at a normal life."

"But that's impossible!" exclaimed the Doctor, pacing and pulling at his hair, muttering to himself, trying to work it out. "The symbols on Ianto's armbands, they're Gallifreyan. His mind is so like ours, I wondered if maybe...," he stopped, looking at the former Time Lord, in disbelief.

"All of time and space at my fingertips. It was a lot easier then you might think," replied the TARDIS with a grin.

"But he shouldn't exist. He's more wrong than Jack," said the Doctor gesturing towards Jack, who tried not to flinch in response.

The TARDIS walked over to Jack and patted his cheek, fondly. "He isn't wrong Doctor, and neither is my son," he said, looking at him over Jack's shoulder. "Your Lady TARDIS saw the impossibility of what had happened to both me, and my son. She decided that neither of us should be alone. She allowed Rose to save him," he placed his hand on Jack's arm. "Unfortunately, as Rose was human, she went a little too far and made you a fixed point, rather than just a child of time. Your TARDIS is right, it cannot be undone, but at least neither of you need ever be alone."

"Is that why?" Jack began, and swallowed, not sure how to continue. "Is that why time drew us together?" The TARDIS nodded. "But Ianto, _Ifan_, doesn't understand what's happening to him, to _us_," Jack continued, feeling angry and seeing his life spinning out of his control. "Is this what you two had planned, change us, make us forever, and just leave us to stumble along and figure it out on our own?"

The TARDIS before him smiled, as if indulging a petulant child. "You'll never be alone. You'll be together, that is, if you choose to be, of course," he shrugged. "Apart you are both extraordinary, but together, the possibilities of what you can accomplish are endless. Don't be afraid of it, Jack, the only real change will be your understanding of wielding the power of time. You were chosen for a reason, and so was my son."

"But all that power, having access to it, won't it drive them mad?" the Doctor asked, all of his instincts screaming at him that this was wrong somehow.

"No more so then you," the TARDIS responded with a grin. "But enough about the past, I believe you came here to discuss what has happened to your Lady TARDIS, and how we are going to stop that idiot Koschei from destroying her and our home."

The Doctor smiled in spite of himself. He had only known the Engineer in passing while he was alive, and he had forgotten how little time he'd had for the Master's antics.

"I don't have any real weapons other than time itself, but if all else fails, I can power this base for millennia if need be to keep you all safe," the TARDIS continued, hand on his chin in thought. His face lit up as an idea seemed to form. "My son sent over the secure archives from Torchwood One, correct?" he asked Jack, who nodded in response. The TARDIS smiled and looked to the Doctor, "Fancy a little Time Lord tinkering? I think if they still have a few trinkets from Gallifrey buried in the mix, we might just have a way of stopping the Master before he gets too far."

The Doctor grinned; even if he didn't agree with how he came into existence, he was certain that he was going to like this Time Lord TARDIS a lot more than he should.

* * *

Ianto laced up his boots, put on his fatigue jacket, and hoisted his pack, before making his way down the stairs to the door to leave for the briefing at Newton House. He opened it, only to be knocked over by an armful of Jack.

"What happened?" he asked as Jack stared down at him, stroking his cheek. His silence and the confusion surrounding his mind caused Ianto to panic. "Is something wrong?" he asked. Still not receiving an answer, he tried another method. "Talk to me, Jack. If you can't talk, show me."

Still silent, Jack bent down and kissed him tenderly, as images of what Jack had learned, flooded Ianto's mind.

Ianto gasped, breaking the kiss as a tear fell from his eye. He looked up at his lover, pain and confusion written on his face. "So, what am I then? Some kind of crazy TARDIS, Aderyn, Time Lord experiment?" he asked, voice cracking from the shock of what he'd seen.

Jack shook his head. "No, you are Ianto Jones, _my _Ianto Jones. Guardian of the Aderyn, Wielder of Time, King of Coffee, best shag of my life, and bravest man I've ever met," he said.

Ianto laughed. "You're only saying that because some crazy time wielding machine decided you were stuck with me," he answered, tears still swimming in his eyes.

"No. I'm saying that because what you are going to do is extremely dangerous, especially for you. I don't want the Master getting his hands on you, and I want you to come back to me in one piece," Jack replied, helping him up.

Ianto shook his head. "Well at least the whole gold thing makes more sense," he said ruefully. Jack grinned.

"I'm just excited that time shattering orgasms are the norm," he replied with a cheeky grin. Ianto rolled his eyes; even when the world turned upside down, Jack was still Jack.

"Time and place," he said, batting Jack on the arm. "Now help me load this pack into the SUV. This is one meeting, we are not going to be late to."

"Are you sure about that?" Jack smirked at him, pulling him close and grabbing his ass.

Ianto smiled and pecked him on the lips. "This may be the one and only time I say no to you," he replied. "Just remember, when I get back, lots and lots of welcome home sex."

"I can live with that," Jack replied, smacking him on the ass and sending him towards the door. "I like the military black look, by the way, even when you were playing vigilante, it was hot. Though I have to say, I miss the coat."

Ianto locked the door and moved towards Jack, shoving him against the car and crushing their lips together, branding him as only his with a kiss.

"Tell you what," Ianto said as he released him. "If you can hold out until I get back, I promise to shag you wearing that coat and nothing else."

Jack grinned. "You're on. Add a little mid-air shagging to the mix, and I may never flirt again."

Ianto just laughed and got into the SUV. "A Jack Harkness that never flirts?" he remarked, shaking his head. "I don't think the world will ever be ready for that."

_

* * *

Fifteen minutes till __Midnight – Newton House, 12 days until the election_

"Final weapons check, I want perception filters, short distance comms, hand knives, time grenades, message stones, Kevlar vests, two hand guns, and weapon of choice at the very least on each of you," said Ianto, pacing down the line and checking the gear for his team. Three more experienced guardians and one of the former trainees who Ianto had taken under his wing made up his team. With a wielder of each element, they had learned how to work together and make the most of their abilities. With the addition of time energy to the mix, they were a formidable bunch indeed.

"Teleen," he addressed the youngest, adjusting his pack filled with provisions. "I want you to take up the rear position, give us cloud cover and make certain that you warn us ahead of time if anything seems out of place." The boy nodded, and Ianto patted his shoulder in reassurance. "You'll do great, just like in practice. Just try to keep your mind on us and everything will be fine," he said, before turning to Rhys.

"Ready to go, Sir," said Ianto, waiting for Rhys to give further instructions.

"Thank you, Jones. You five will be our eyes and ears in the field. Make yourselves as invisible as possible. Much is riding on this, until we know what the Master has planned, we're flying blind. Do your best work, lads. We're all counting on you," Rhys said, making eye contact and shaking hands with each member of the team before leaving them to finish preparations.

"Five minutes till departure, get your goodbyes out of the way now," said Ianto, looking across the room where Jack leaned against the wall, watching the proceedings with a look of nostalgia on his face.

"Reminds me of World War Two," he remarked as Ianto walked up to him.

"One is more accurate," Ianto replied, watching young Teleen hug his crying mam and shake his tad's hand. "He's so young Jack, and we don't know what we're in for out there. Even with the plans Hart sent, give me a trench over this any day of the week."

Jack smiled at him. "Bet the food is better though. I don't miss the beans, I'll tell you that much."

"Bloody beans," groaned Ianto. "If I never see a bean tin again it will be too soon."

They laughed, and Jack pulled him in for a fierce hug. "Come back in one piece, okay?" he whispered, kissing his cheek.

"Picture of caution, me," Ianto replied with a wink before pulling away.

"You never told me your codename," Jack said, wanting at least something he could monitor and hold onto while Ianto was gone.

Ianto smiled at him. "There's a story behind it, one that you might remember if my guess is correct." Jack looked confused. "I can't tell you now as too many might hear it, but keep your mind open as I leave and I'll send it to you." Squeezing Jack's hand in reassurance, Ianto went to rejoin his team.

"Guardians, assemble!" Ianto hollered to his team. The group moved to stand in a V formation behind him, with Ianto at point. Ianto brought his wings out, and Jack noticed a few gasps at the gold color. "You heard the Brenin," Ianto called. "We have a mission to do, boys. Let's make him proud."

"Sir, Guardian, sir!" chanted the team behind him.

Raising his arms and wings above him, Ianto began to concentrate on the jump. He had been practicing with his team for the last week, and teleporting more than just himself was becoming easier. Ianto smiled; maybe being part TARDIS would come in useful after all. Drawing on the power inside of him, he caused the area around the team to fill with light, and before Jack could blink, they were gone.

A single word had played across his mind as the light faded.

_Victory_


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

**A/N:** Many thanks to the fabulous sparking_off for beta-ing. Any mistakes left are all mine.

This entire fic started out as a short story called "A Night at the Union Jack" that I'll post once this is done.

If you want more information on the Welsh National War Memorial, here's a quick link via wikipedia. .org/wiki/Welsh_National_War_Memorial

Next update will be next Friday. Reviews are always great! Thanks for reading!

* * *

**Part 19**

**

* * *

**

_Torchwood Hub – day of the election_

Jack was pacing his office again. It had been twelve days since Ianto had left, and he had heard nothing from him other than a package that had arrived this morning, containing only a small, smooth, white stone. Said stone was currently lying on his desk, mocking him with it's promise of news. He knew that message stones were a secure way of communication, but he had no idea how to use it. The Doctor wasn't due back from Newton House until that evening, and he was about to give in and call him, when the stone began to pulse and give off a low beeping noise.

Jack approached it with caution. Caution gave way to curiosity, and he reached out and picked it up.

"Bio-signature confirmed," came a voice from inside of the stone. "Message activated."

As Jack watched, a full sized image of Ianto stood before him. His black fatigues were dusty, a cut marred his cheek, he was wearing a goatee that Jack rather liked, and his wings were dirt streaked as if he had stopped in the middle of something to make the message; a far cry from the traditional suit and immaculate cleanliness he showed at work. Jack was stunned. He had seen images like this before, but never one so realistic. If his hand hadn't passed through it, he would have sworn Ianto was standing there.

"So he's sent word then," said the Doctor from the doorway. He had made it back early, finishing his work with the Engineer ahead of schedule. The others had followed him to Jack's office and were gathered outside the door.

"You've seen one of these before?" Jack asked, looking at the stone in his hand.

The Doctor nodded and pulled a similar stone from his pocket. "His mother sent me a message through this one," he said.

Jack nodded and looked at the image in front of him. "How do you get it to start?" he asked, poking the stone with his finger.

"I used the screwdriver. Maybe you say _play_," replied the Doctor with a shrug.

"Play," Jack said. The stone pulsed again and all eyes turned to the image in front of them as it began to speak.

"Hello Torchwood, I hope this finds you well," Ianto began. "Initial missions to the _Valiant _were successful. If Hawkman hasn't contacted you yet, he should do soon as we have uncovered part of the Master's plan." The team looked at each other in surprise. They had no idea what Ianto had been up to, and were more than a little surprised to hear that it had been covert. Owen though, had something else on his mind.

"What kind of pretentious wanker uses _Hawkman_ as a codename?" he interjected, shaking his head at the absurdity of it, only to be elbowed in the ribs by Gwen. "Guess that answers that question," he muttered, rubbing his side.

Jack smiled to himself as Ianto continued. "We now know that he has turned the TARDIS into a paradox machine. The machine's countdown is set for 8:02AM the morning after he takes office." His expression turned grim. "She's trapped Doctor. All alone and twisted into something so _wrong_ and she's powerless to stop it. She's aware of what has happened to her, and knows that the Master is going to use her to bring something through to destroy mankind, but she is too weak to see what it is. I tried to help her, but it is going to take another Time Lord to reverse what he's done." The Doctor looked thoughtful. He had assumed this would be the case, and hoped that the module that he and the Engineer had created would work.

'_If you go up there, I am coming with you,'_ Jack sent the Doctor, daring him to deny his request.

'_This is my responsibility, but I may need your help,' _the Doctor conceded._ 'We'll discuss it later, I have a feeling there is more we need to hear first.'_ Jack held his gaze a moment longer, before turning back to the message.

"On our last trip to the _Valiant _we ran into some trouble," said Ianto. "We managed to escape, with a little help from Captain Hart, who incidentally sends his regards." Jack smirked. "The Master has control over the voltage in his wrist strap so he is working for him under duress. I don't trust him though. If turning us in had been to his advantage, he would have done it. Unknown to Hart, however, we did find a secure location for future incursions underneath the _Valiant's _radar. Doctor, if we can teleport you up there, we might be able to stop him before the countdown ends."

Ianto reached forward and took a drink from a canteen. When he resumed speaking, his voice held a note of sadness. "Martha, if you're listening, the Master has Tish working for him. She was seen at his campaign office yesterday." Martha gasped, and the Doctor put his arm around her in comfort. "We haven't been able to track down your mother or father, but Leo is at Newton House with his wife and child, so at least they're safe. I'm not sure what he has planned for Tish, but if you can somehow get a warning to her, and she isn't already under his sway, please do." Martha reached for her phone and scrolled through her messages, seeing one from Tish, mentioning her new job. She had been so busy helping the Doctor that she had missed it.

Ianto stopped and crossed his arms before he spoke again. "Jack, in case you weren't told after we left, this is not a one-time trip for my team. We're going to be the main intelligence unit until we are no longer needed." Jack cursed in response. "I know it's not what was originally planned, but if things get ugly, we to need to establish an intelligence network to ensure that the planet survives." Jack didn't like it, but saw the need for the tactic. "I know you aren't going to like it, Jack, but as a guardian, it's my job to protect not only the Aderyn, but the planet. Torchwood, hell _you_, of all people should understand this. As the Doctor has no doubt told you, the Master is not someone we can underestimate."

"He's right," said the Doctor. Jack didn't answer; he just stared stoically at the image in front of him as Ianto continued.

"We found several MOD troopers this morning scouting around Newton House; the barriers surrounding two other outposts were tested as well. We're not sure how the Master discovered our whereabouts, but it is pretty obvious that there must be a spy on the inside for him to have found the other locations so quickly." He stopped and looked to the side, possibly listening to someone, before nodding and then turning back to the message. "We are off to New York in a few minutes," he said. "There has been talk of a potential threat against President Winters from Saxon's camp, and we need to make ourselves known before his plan comes to fruition."

"If for any reason things go wrong," he went on, "I'll time jump us to November 16, 1926, and the Union Jack Club in London. There was a party for WWI vets and sailors in port that night, so any additional revelers should go unnoticed. The Union Jack Club is also a known safety zone for time travelers, as you'll recall Jack, so we should be able to lay low for as long as we need." Jack's brows furrowed in confusion. He had been there with Hart on that exact date, back when he was still a Time Agent. But how had Ianto known that?

"The jump is a last resort though," continued Ianto. "It will take quite a lot out of me to jump all five of us temporally, rather than just a simple teleport, so we are only using it if there is no other option." His gaze travelled around the room and seemed to stop on Jack. "No matter what happens, I will be back, s_ir,_" he said, and Jack smiled. "The message stone can be used both ways, and as the Doctor can tell you, it's not tied to linear time. I'm sending it to you so that you can contact me in the field." Ianto stopped and reached up and scratched the back of his neck. Seeing this nervous gesture, that was so very Ianto, made Jack grin. "I'm sure that you have an office full of people right now, Jack, but if you lot could bugger off for a moment, the rest of this message is private."

The message paused and Jack turned to the others, gesturing for them to leave.

"Jesus, he didn't send you porn over that thing did he?" said Owen, with a disgusted look on his face. Tosh smacked him in the arm, causing Owen to wince. "What is with all the abuse!" he asked throwing up his arms in protest. "Hello? Doctor here, end of the world coming, medics in short supply; hitting me not such a good plan."

"It is if it shuts you up," responded Tosh, pushing him out of the room.

Martha pulled out her phone and grabbed Gwen by the arm to pull her out the door. "Come on Gwen. Hawkman might be your boyfriend, but I have a feeling that this message is more personal then classified," she said, ignoring Gwen's protests. Only the Doctor remained.

"It won't erase unless you ask it to. Just say the commands that you would normally use for a transmit comm," he said before turning to go. Halfway out the door he stopped. "Oh, and Jack, you're a lucky man." He grinned and left, shutting the door behind him. Once he was alone, Jack continued the message.

"About the Union Jack Club; I am sure your mind is reeling trying to figure out how I know you were there." Ianto grinned, and his tired eyes twinkled. "I suggest you take a trip to Cathays Park and take a long look at the Welsh National War Memorial. Especially the top bit. As you've probably guessed, I was there the same time you were. After borrowing the uniform of a certain able Seaman Fred Barker, the night got more than a little interesting." Jack's eyes went wide at the name. No, it couldn't be, could it? He searched through his memories, and looked up at Ianto's slightly longer and curlier hair and new facial hair, and realized that it most certainly could.

"I didn't realize it was you, well a much younger you, until Rhys brought out an old newspaper clipping of that evening to explain my codename to my team," Ianto said, voice soft. "I have to say though, Captain Jack Harkness has a better ring to it than Yeoman James Harper," he grinned, and Jack chuckled. He hadn't gone by that name in years.

"Gods, I wish I was there now. I bet you're freaking out a little over this, I know I am." He ran a hand over his face and then looked straight at Jack. "I don't usually go in for this fate and destiny stuff, but maybe the TARDIS was right." Jack smiled. "I know this mission is dangerous, but I promise you, nothing is going to stop me from getting back to you. Take care of yourself, and I'll see you soon. Victory out." The message ended.

Jack stared at the image a moment longer before turning the stone off.

Grabbing his coat and the keys to the SUV, he told the others that he would be back soon, and made his way out the door to Cathays Park.

* * *

_The Valiant – later that day_

John Hart turned off the television announcement of the new Prime Minister in disgust. Saxon had done it, and no one had even questioned him. Gods, humans in this century were so thick. How had they not noticed something was wrong? Feeling restless, he started walking the halls of the airship. Since the Saxons would be on the ground for the next two days dealing with the election, he had been confined to the _Valiant_, with the express understanding that if he set one foot off her, the electrical pulse now attached to his wrist strap would release enough voltage to kill him. Walking aimlessly, he came to a sudden stop, surprised to find himself standing in front of the TARDIS. He had not seen the inside of her since the night of her arrival, and he wondered what the Master had done to her. When it was quiet at night, and only the engines made noise, he could hear her sadness echoing through his mind, as she sang.

"Looks like we're both prisoners here," he said to the ship as he reached up to touch her door. To his surprise the door swung open at his touch. Glancing around to make sure no one saw him, he stepped inside. The once golden ship was now bathed in garish red light; the central console encased in a circular cage, with wires and tubes coming out of it from all sides.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but I think eye-candy and his band of winged warriors are coming back for you," John said as he moved closer to the cage. "Not sure if they'll help me, though. Screwed that up a bit by ending up on the wrong side of the vortex, as it were," he continued with a wry grin. Receiving no response, he glanced around the room to look at the coral-like supports, and wondered to himself if he had finally lost it.

"I'll help you if I can," said a soft voice behind him. John spun around and saw a golden woman with long flowing hair standing inside the cage. Time spun around her, and as he watched, she seemed to flicker in and out of existence.

"Who are you?" breathed John. He had seen a lot of things in his time, but never a sentient ship with a corporeal form, hell, he had never seen one that _sung _before either.

"You know the answer to that question, John," she responded, smiling faintly.

"The Master called you the Blue Lady. But he said you were a TARDIS?" he responded, watching her smile broaden in response.

"That is correct. I am the last Lady TARDIS. The Blue Lady was a nickname that your friend Jack gave me long ago," she said, regarding him with ageless eyes. "Thank you for helping the guardians escape, John. Your concern for others will not go unnoticed." He shrugged off the compliment and turned the focus back onto her.

"But what about you?" he asked. "I overhead them talking about a paradox machine. At the Time Agency, rule number one was never induce a paradox. How can he be doing this to you and not collapsing the universe?"

The TARDIS sighed and sat down on the console behind her, her skirts moving with an unseen breeze. "The Master has never been one for rules. I'm not the first TARDIS he has tried to steal. He attempted to steal another once, but fortunately he and his friends thwarted that attempt," she said smiling to herself at memory.

"What about _your_ friends? I know that the guardians are going to attempt to free you, but the Doctor, he's a Time Lord too, shouldn't he be able to stop this?" He reached forward and grabbed the cage with his hands, unable to resist the need to get closer to the entity in front of him.

"They will try, but what the Master has set in motion, cannot be broken until the child of time and TARDIS unleashes his true potential, and sets the universe right again," she responded, her voice filled with melancholy.

"So we're just supposed to sit here and let this happen? Let this Master bastard destroy everything while some wanna-be hero figures out what he is supposed to do?" John stared at her, not understanding how she could sit idly by while the world fell to ruin around her.

Seeing his distress, she rose to touch the fingers that he had poked through the cage with her own, suddenly solid hands. John stared at their hands a moment before looking up at the compassion in her face.

"You can touch me? How?" he asked, realizing that it must have taken a lot of energy for her to have become solid.

"It's not something I can do easily right now," she answered, before releasing his hand and sitting back down, winded. She started to flicker again, and John felt guilty as he watched her struggle to remain present. "He has diverted all of my energy to the paradox machine, and the heart of me is fading ever so slowly, I am not sure how much longer I can keep this form." She looked at him a moment longer and then disappeared.

"I'm sorry," John whispered. He felt a gentle caress against his mind and stepped back from the cage in surprise before realizing that it was her.

'_Don't worry, John,'_ said the voice in his mind. _'I know that things look bleak now, but once I am whole again, time will reset, and all that the Master has wrought will cease to be.'_

"I don't understand," John said aloud. He hated telepathy, always had, but somehow the presence of the TARDIS was soothing.

'_Have faith in those around you,' _she said._ 'The Master sees humans as the greatest monsters in the universe, but he has never seen your potential. The Aderyn have this potential also. Think of what you can accomplish together. The road ahead will be hard, John, but we will survive. That I promise you.'_

John sighed. "I believe you. Just try to keep the telepathy to a minimum okay? It makes my eyelids itch." He felt the TARDIS laugh a melody through his mind, and surprised himself when he smiled in response.

'_You had better go, John, the Master may not be here, but his minions are never far away. Come to see me again when you can.'_

"I will. Keep yourself safe, Blue," he said, touching the cage around her once more before slipping outside her doors and edging past the death ball floating silently down the hall.

* * *

_Sunset – Cathays Park, Cardiff_

Jack stared at the monument before him. So intent was he on contemplating it's visage, that he didn't notice the Doctor walking up to join him.

"That's him there, isn't it," asked the Doctor looking up the bronze angel of victory decorating the top of the monument. Jack didn't say anything, only nodded briefly in response. "You must have met him for the first time, long before…" the Doctor stopped, not sure how to continue.

"Before I met you, became immortal, and you left me behind?" Jack answered evenly, eyes still on the statue.

"I never apologized for that, did I?" replied the Doctor, looking at the man in front of him; so different from the ex-conman that he had left behind.

"Not really, no," Jack said, sighing as he turned away from the statue to look at the Doctor. "But I think I'm starting to get used to the idea of being immortal. Well, as long as I'm not the only one, in any case." He gave the Doctor a small smile. "I've been on my own a long time, Doc. He's the first one to see past the smiles and the bravado and really see me. I'm not sure why the universe chose us, but I'm glad it's him."

The Doctor glanced back up to the statue before looking back to the man in front of him. "You know that I don't exactly agree with how this all happened," he began, watching as Jack's eyes narrowed. "But time and the universe obviously had a plan in mind for you two. And far be it from me to stand in the way of time." He looked at the man he hoped still considered him a friend. "And while it may be too little, too late, I am sorry, so sorry, Jack, for my hand in what you suffered."

Jack stared at him for a moment, looking for the next quip or backhanded comment that the Doctor might blurt out with the rudeness that seemed to accompany this regeneration. Seeing none, he held out his hand to the Time Lord.

"Friends, Doc?" he said, making the handshake a peace offering.

"Always, Captain," the Doctor said with his manic smile, shaking Jack's hand vigorously, before pulling him in and hugging him tightly.

Jack laughed before releasing him and holding him out at arm's length.

"Let's head back," said the Doctor, turning to leave. "Martha is insisting on coming with us, and you know that getting onto the _Valiant_ is going to be hard enough. Fixing the TARDIS, getting back off it again, and stopping the Master, well, that's almost impossible," he added with a cheeky grin.

Jack smiled back at him. "If I remember right, you used to do at least three impossible things before breakfast, Doc. Four shouldn't be too hard." The Doctor grinned wider and started walking towards the SUV. Jack moved to follow the Doctor, and stopped briefly to look back up at the statue of victory before leaving.

"I'll be seeing you soon," he whispered, before continuing on his way.

* * *

_Torchwood Hub _

"I'll be back in a moment, Tosh," hollered Gwen, making her way towards the bathroom. "I just need to clean some of this slime off of my hands before I fill out the report. Why is it that all of the alerts that Owen sends us out on have to involve aliens with overactive mucus?" Shaking her head, she wiped some of the slime off with a paper towel.

"Hurry back," called Tosh. "We're heading to the pub for dinner as it might just be our official last night of freedom for a while."

"Will do," responded Gwen, closing the door behind her. She pushed the faucet on with her elbow and ran the warm water over her hands, rubbing them, trying to get rid of the neon green slime that reached to her forearms. As she did so, she felt the perception filter that the Doctor had made slip off of her finger. She made a vain attempt to catch it before it circled the drain and disappeared below. Cursing under her breath, she tried to pull the ring back up with her finger, only to see it slip further down the drain and out of sight.

"Dammit!" she swore, flinging slime and drain muck from her hands into the sink in frustration.

"Now, now, Miss Cooper, is that any way for a lady to talk?" tsked a voice.

Gwen looked up into the mirror in shock, only to see the smiling face of the Master looking back at her.

"Oh, don't look so grim. I've just been hiding here in your subconscious where you left me. It's not like I've done any real harm, is it?" he asked her, eyes sad and lips pouting. "Well, there is that little matter of having you sleep walk and send me the coordinates to the outposts last week," he said, tapping his chin with his finger and grinning at her. "Thanks for that one, by the way."

Gwen's eyes went wide in horror. "No way, it can't be true. I can't have. I would have remembered," she said, fearing what she might have done.

"Sadly, yes you did. Now that you no longer have anything keeping me at bay, you are going to help me a lot more too," he continued, smiling in glee.

Gwen shook her head, a tear falling down her face. "No, please, no more, haven't you done enough?" she pleaded.

"Oh no, Miss Cooper, I've only just begun." His smile grew wider, and for a moment her eyes lost focus of the mirror in front of her. When her vision cleared, she saw herself washing her hands in the sink, before looking up at her reflection with a smile. Confused, Gwen looked around her and found herself in the dark, the only source of light the rectangle of the mirror in front of her. Realizing that she was trapped, Gwen began to bang on the mirror, begging to be let out.

The imposter smiled back at her, before drying her hands, and making her way to the door. As she left the room, the rectangle that was the mirror went dark.

"And now you see just what you will become for me, Miss Cooper," boomed the Master's voice in the darkness. "The perfect double agent, trapped in your own mind."

"Rhys," Gwen sobbed. "Please, do what you want to me, but leave him alone."

Laughter filled the darkness around her. "Sorry, Gwen, he's part of my plans. But as long as you're stuck here, feel free to watch," he said, his voice fading into the darkness.

Gwen found herself suddenly looking through her own eyes, but unable to move her body, as she watched her imposter laugh with Tosh, and make ready to go to the pub with Martha and the others. She saw herself hold up a compact and check her makeup smirking at her own reflection, as if mocking the real Gwen trapped within.

Silently Gwen swore that she would find a way out of this. She had fallen victim to the Master once, and she was not going to let him do it again.


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

**A/N:** Many thanks to the fabulous sparking_off for beta-ing. Any mistakes left are all mine.

We're entering the home stretch here, only a few to go. It's looking like 24+epilogue right now. Reviews are always great! Thanks for reading!

* * *

**Part 20a**

* * *

The following morning found the Doctor, Martha, and the Torchwood team gathered in the conference room watching Saxon's day-after-the-election broadcast.

"Britain, Britain, Britain," Saxon began. "What an extraordinary times we've had. Just a few years ago, this world was so small. And then they came out of the unknown, falling from the skies," he lectured. "You've seen it happen: Big Ben destroyed - a spaceship over London." The Doctor and Tosh shared a knowing smile. "All those ghosts and metal men," Saxon continued, and the Doctor's face fell as he thought of losing Rose. "Time and again the government told you nothing. Well, not me. Not Harold Saxon. Because my purpose here today is to tell you this – citizens of Great Britain…I have been contacted. A message for humanity, from beyond the stars."

Jack and the Doctor exchanged a look; what was he up to now? The Doctor put his glasses on and stared at the image of the pulsating metal ball, the same type that Hart has sent in his message, talking of coming in peace and offering gifts of technology, wisdom, and protection.

"More like death, destruction, and doom," muttered Jack under his breath, as the broadcast came back to Saxon once more. "And this species has identified itself. They're called the Toclafane," Saxon said, smiling into the camera.

"What?" exclaimed the Doctor in disbelief. Jack glanced at him, but decided that explanations would have to come later as Saxon went on to expound on how first contact would begin the following morning.

"He's taking the piss," snorted Owen. "No one is ready for the level of alien interaction." Jack leered and Owen rolled his eyes. "Okay maybe you are Harkness, but not the rest of us."

"Tomorrow, we take our place in the universe," continued Saxon, with a smile. "Every man, woman, and child. Every teacher, and chemist, and lorry driver, and farmer. And every…oh, I don't know. Torchwood Agent?"

An explosion rocked the Plass above them, causing the intruder alert to sound. As the Hub's lights dimmed, Jack realized that the Master was taunting them; time had run out.

"Everybody move!" he shouted, and the team scurried down the steps to prepare for evacuation. "Gwen, Tosh, I want the tech and weapons onto the teleport platform immediately," Jack ordered. "Once the mainframe is secure, I want you two on the first teleport out," he added, hitting buttons on his wrist strap to scan the surface. There were at least twenty heat signatures on the Plass, and fifteen more clustered in and around the tourist office. Cursing under his breath, Jack calculated how long it would take them to be ready for departure, and decided it was too long. Running to the nearest terminal, he tried to buy them some time by locking the Hub down.

"Get the archives secure, Doc, I don't want those UNIT idiots to get their hands on anything," he hollered over his shoulder to the Doctor. Hearing the stress in Jack's voice, the Time Lord dropped the crate he was holding and sprinted to the archives to set the bio-scan time lock.

Checking the CCTV for their progress, Jack watched as the group of UNIT soldiers attempted to open the hidden door in the tourist office to get access to the Hub. Tosh came up beside him and turned pale when she saw how close they were to breaching it. Jack placed a hand on her shoulder. "Shut it down, Tosh," he said gently, hoping that the mainframe would be secure. "The teleport will work outside the lockdown, so set that too." He moved away to help Gwen stack the last box of tech, and just as the full lockdown started, the sound of boots thundered on the stairs. UNIT had made it through the tourist office and were on their way down to the cog wheel door.

The Doctor returned from the archives, nodding at Jack to let him know that they were secure.

"Alright, Tosh, Gwen, get ready for teleport. We'll follow you on the next run," Jack directed, hand on his wrist strap to activate it. Tosh and Gwen took their places, and Jack smiled at them in reassurance. "See you at Newton House in a few," he said, winking at Tosh in reassurance before pushing the button and watching them disappear.

The footsteps had stopped. In the silence that followed, a loud banging began as they tried to open the cog wheel door.  
"They'll be in soon," Martha murmured, glancing up from where she was helping Owen and the Doctor stack medical supplies onto the teleport platform.

"Don't think about it, we'll be gone before they even breach the door," responded Jack, grabbing his great coat off the couch to join them.  
He was about to push the button to activate the teleport, when the Doctor stopped him.

"Wait!" he cried out, before running to Jack's office.

"Doc! There's no time for this, we've got to go!" Jack shouted after him.

The Doctor ran back to them, holding the TARDIS coral in his hands. "Don't want the Master to get his hands on this, do we," he said with a grin. Jack shook his head fondly as the banging on the door grew louder.

"Alright, everyone ready?" Jack asked. Seeing the resolution on their faces he reached over and pushed the activation button.

Nothing happened. Scowling, Jack tried it again.

"Bit anti-climatic, this," Owen commented, glancing around to see that they were still in the Hub.

Jack looked confused, and tried pushing the button once more. "Come on, come on," he muttered, but it was no use, the teleport was no longer working. "Something's wrong," he said looking to the others in confusion. The Doctor whipped out his sonic screwdriver and tried to fix it, but still nothing happened.

"No shit something's wrong," grumbled Owen. "What the hell are we going to do now? Most of our arsenal went with Tosh and Gwen, we're sitting ducks."

Jack was about to reply when he felt a surge of anger, fear, and concern wash over his mind. Forcing himself to concentrate, he closed his eyes and went still, reaching inside him for the strength to reach out his mind, and find his favorite guardian.

_'Ianto?'_ he asked, hoping that he could send more than feelings to him over whatever distance now separated them.

_'Jack…..Jack, can you hear me?'_ came the response. It was faint, but he could definitely hear him.  
_  
__'Ianto! Thank the Gods. The teleport is down, and we're under attack. Where are you?' _he sent back, hoping Ianto could reach them in time.

_'London, enroute to Newton House,' _Ianto replied, his mental voice sounding strained. _'They're under attack as we speak, there've been casualties.'_ Jack grimaced. If Newton House was under attack, and his team was already heading there, there was no time for him to reach the Hub before UNIT got in. They were on their own.

_'You're right; I can't get there in time. Do you have another way out?'_ Ianto suddenly asked, surprising Jack by reading his mind so easily.

_'Negative,' _Jack replied, trying to keep his voice neutral and not betray the fear he felt grow with every bang on the cog wheel door. _'With the teleport down, and the Hub surrounded, our only option is the tunnels.' __  
_  
Martha gasped as a gun butt smashed through the small glass window in the door, and Jack opened his eyes to gauge how long they had before the soldiers managed to force their way in. A crowbar poked through the tiny gap between the door and the wall, and as he watched, the gap widened to show the cogs holding the door in place. Judging by how fast they were wrenching it open, they had five minutes at the most, before they got through. He turned to the Doctor to ask him if he had any ideas, only to see the Time Lord's mouth drop open, as he stared at Jack.

"What?" Jack asked him out loud, wondering why he was staring at him. The Doctor promptly closed his mouth and tilted his head, fixing Jack with an unnerving gaze.

"I take it you're talking to Ianto, then?" the Doctor asked.

Jack nodded. "How did you know?" The Doctor just shook his head, mumbling something about vortex energy and meddling TARDISes.

_'Jack, I have a plan B for you,'_ interrupted Ianto. _'Go down to sublevel six, tunnel five and take the side alley exit out of the Hub. The DNA-Scan lock should let you out even if the lockdown is in effect. Transportation should be waiting for you by the time you get there.'_

_'Transportation? Wait, Ianto, what transportation?'_ Jack asked, confused.

_'No time to explain. String-Bean will know what to do. I have to go; the others are taking heavy fire and need our help. See you at the rendezvous point,' _Ianto replied. Jack felt a wave of affection wash over his mind, and he was gone.

Blinking as his mind focused back on the present, he turned to the others.

"Alright, team, we have a plan. Grab only what you can carry, we're heading down into the tunnels," he ordered. Throwing on a backpack of supplies and grabbing a crate, he started down to sublevel six. The others quickly followed, just managing to disappear from sight as the first soldier squeezed his way through the cog door and into the Hub.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, they had managed to make it down to the alley exit in tunnel five. Jack placed his hand on the scanner, smiling in satisfaction when the door unlocked itself. He escorted the others through before stopping to stand in the doorway with his wrist strap open.  
"What are you doing, Harkness? We need to get out of here before anyone sees us," complained Owen, glancing down the alleyway.

"Just letting loose a weevil or two," Jack replied with a grin. "Figured Janet and Myfanwy might like a double date with UNIT."

Owen clapped him on the shoulder. "You're a sick man, Harkness, but I like your style," he said, shaking his head. Finishing the sequence, Jack entered the alleyway; the exit door shut and locked behind him.

"Now, we're supposed to have some form of transportation waiting. And I think Ianto mentioned someone called _String-Bean_," Jack said, with a lopsided smile.

Owen was about to reply when a pair of headlights appeared at the front of the alley, and a white delivery van approached. Jack got out his Webley, and Owen his gun, neither sure if this was friend or foe.

A van bearing the name 'Smith & Sons Produce' pulled up alongside them, and the tinted driver's window rolled down.

"So I take it you lot are the 'special delivery' Sparky called in?" asked the driver.

"Andy?" Jack asked, stunned. PC Andy Davidson smiled back at him and got out of the van to open the doors.

"Hurry up then, Torchwood. We actually have a timetable to meet if we're going to make the rendezvous," Andy said, helping them load their gear into the back of the van. Once the gear was stowed, Martha, Owen, and the Doctor got into the bench seat in the back, and Jack into the passenger seat next to Andy.

"Everyone ready?" Andy glanced back, checking his passengers. "Right. We're off, then,"

He drove them out of the alley and down the docks, circling back through town and heading for the M-4. Jack was about to ask him how the hell he ended up involved in this when the CB Radio on the dashboard interrupted him.

"Sparky to String-Bean, Sparky to String-Bean, over," called a voice from the radio.

Andy grimaced at the code name. "He's my bloody cousin; you'd think he would have given me something better then a childhood taunt as a codename. What about Rugby Lover, or Copper-Man, anything but bloody _String-Bean_," he grumbled, before picking up the transceiver to respond. "This is String-Bean, go ahead," he said, barely concealing his annoyance.

"Dispatch is getting antsy, are your deliveries on schedule?" asked Sparky.

"Picked up four crates at the last stop. On route now, should make all deliveries on time," responded Andy.

"Copy that. Had a bad shipment of figs from the Newton facility earlier, so schedules have been delayed. Keep us posted, String-Bean. We may need you to add a stop or two to your route. Sparky out."

The van was silent for a moment, as her occupants caught their breath. Curiosity finally getting the better of him, Jack decided to ask Andy how he ended up being their rescuer.

"Not that we're not grateful," he began. "But I have to know, Andy, how did you get involved in all this?"

Andy smirked. "You mean, how did a mild-mannered PC get involved with the Aderyn, and aiding and abetting fugitives from the Master?" he asked.

"I always said you were too smart for the police force," Jack chuckled. "But seriously, how are you here and who the heck is Sparky?"

"Sparky, or Jasper Teleen, is my cousin, and part of the team that has been working with your Mr. Jones to infiltrate the Master's network," Andy explained. Jack thought back over the night Ianto left. He remembered him, the young air wielder that Ianto had literally taken under his wing and assigned to his team.

"So you're related then?" asked the Doctor from between the seats.

Andy nodded. "I'm not one of them, but I have been known to cause a shock or two in my time," he smiled, holding up his hand and causing a small spark to dance between his fingers. "Comes in handy on match night when the taser runs out. I mean really, what is a copper supposed to do with a nightstick against a drunken footie fan with a gun, anyway?"

Owen laughed. "I take it String-Bean is a crap nickname from your childhood, then?"

Andy sighed. "And now I'll never live it down. I can't help it if I've been this tall since I was 13."

Jack patted his shoulder. "Well, bad code name or no, thank you for your help."

"Don't thank me yet," replied Andy. "We have a few hours ahead of us until we make it to the rendezvous point. I think you know where we're headed, but we're taking the scenic route. After the attacks today, we can't take any chances of the Master's goons finding sanctuary."

Jack nodded. Rhys had mentioned that the tunnels leading to Carreg Cennen ran throughout the area, including one from Newton House. He only hoped for Tosh and Gwen's sake that they had made it there in time to escape with the rest of them.

* * *

_Newton House _

Tosh and Gwen had arrived, only to find themselves surrounded by the crossfire between MOD soldiers and Newton House guardians. Ducking behind the crates on the teleport platform, they returned fire to the soldiers, only to see them close ranks and advance on their position. Just as they were about to be overrun, a flash of light exploded above them, and Ianto and group of seven guardians appeared in mid-air, descending upon the soldiers in a flurry of weapons and wings to disarm the soldiers in a matter of moments.

As soon as the danger was over, Tosh ran to Ianto and hugged him tight. "Thank goodness you're safe," she said, relieved to see her friend alive.

Ianto released her with a small smile. "Any injuries?" he asked, looking her over.

Tosh shook her head. "No, Gwen and I got down behind the tech crates when the fighting started."

Ianto looked around, wondering where Gwen had gone off too. "But she's not here, Tosh," he said, scanning the room for any sign of her.

"She was right beside me…" Tosh trailed off, noticing that her teammate was no longer hiding on the platform. Ianto motioned for the guardians to spread out and look for her, and for any other threats to the building. Remembering how easily the Master had controlled Gwen in the past, he felt a shiver run down his spine at the possibility that she might have had something to do with this as well.

"Tosh, I need to you to think, is anything missing from the tech you sent over from the Hub?" he asked, glancing to the jumble of crates behind her.

Tosh pulled out her PDA and looked over the list as she and Ianto pulled the remaining crates off the platform. Suddenly she stopped. "There's one item that isn't here. That creepy hand that Jack used to keep in the Hub. He had us bring it for some reason," she said, still scrolling through to make sure that nothing else was missing.

Ianto looked through the crates himself before standing up in frustration. She was right. But why would anyone steal the Doctor's hand? Too much was happening at the moment for him to ponder the answer. First he needed to update Tosh on Torchwood Three, and then they needed to find Gwen and get out of here before another wave of soldiers arrived.

"I spoke with Jack a while ago, and the Hub was under attack," he told Tosh. Seeing her expression, Ianto hurriedly continued. "I gave them an escape route. Sparky should be checking in with them shortly." She nodded, somewhat comforted, but still worried.

"Of greater concern is how they knew when and where to attack us," said Ianto. "We evacuated Newton House, other than ground crew, earlier today, but the Hub was a complete surprise. We need to know who their spy is and we need to know now, before this gets any worse."

"He's right," said a voice from the doorway. Ianto and Tosh turned towards the sound, guns out, only to lower them when Rhys came into view, flanked by two guardians. Ianto stood at attention as he approached. "None of that," Rhys said, waving his hand at him in annoyance. "It's been a long day and standing on ceremony is the last thing we need. I just heard from Sparky, your team is safe and enroute. How are things here? Where's Gwen?"

"Over here," Gwen shouted from the far side of the room. She was being held at gun point by an MOD soldier, and three more stood on either side of her, guns out and at the ready.

Tosh and Ianto put their guns back up and the guardians at Rhys's side each held a ball of fire or ice ready to launch at the new threat.  
"What do you want?" Rhys asked, face full of fury that they had captured Gwen.

"A simple trade," said the leader of the group. "We want the Lazarus Bio-Scanner, in exchange for the woman." Tosh glanced to Ianto who nodded his approval, and she opened one of the crates, handing the scanner to Rhys.

"Here's your scanner, now hand her over," he growled at them.

"Only if you bring it to us," replied the soldier with a sneer.

Rhys started to move forward, but Ianto put out a hand to stop him.

"I can't let you do this," he said. "It's a trap, something isn't right. I'm sure of it. Send one of us instead."

Gwen cried out across the room, and as they turned back to look her way, they saw that the gun on her temple had been joined by a knife at her throat. "If you continue to delay, we may have to injure her until you comply," her captor taunted.

"That's the woman I love over there. What would you do if this was Jack?" Rhys hissed at Ianto, keeping his eyes on Gwen.

"He would tell me to trust my instincts, and to never, ever back down to an enemy, sir. You're too valuable, send someone else. We can't take the risk of something happening to you," Ianto tried to reason with him.

Gwen whimpered as the knife pushed closer to her throat. Rhys squared his shoulders, and started walking towards her. "If anything happens to me, Ianto is acting Brennin," he said to his guards. They nodded in response, watching his every movement as Gwen and her captor moved to meet him in the middle of the room.

They stopped two feet from each other, and Rhys put the scanner down on the ground. "Hand her over and you are free to leave," he ordered.

The soldier nodded, and motioned to one of his subordinates to pick up the scanner before he shoved Gwen forward. Rhys caught her in his arms and held her tight, walking back slowly, watching the soldiers exit the building. Once they were out the door, he motioned to his guards to follow them. Rhys kept Gwen close by his side, walking her back to where Tosh and Ianto stood waiting.

"Are you alright, love?" he asked, brushing Gwen's hair back from her face. She looked up at him and nodded.

"I'm so sorry," she said, burying her face in his chest. Rhys shushed her, and assured her she had done nothing wrong.

"It's all right Gwen, without a lot of other equipment, there's not much they can do with that scanner anyway," said Ianto. Tosh nodded in agreement.  
Laughter seemed to bubble up out of Gwen and she threw her head back and looked at Ianto, rolling her eyes at him, before looking up at Rhys.

"No, you big idiot," she said to him, "I'm so sorry that you are so trusting. It wasn't even hard." She laughed again.

"What?" Rhys asked, confused. Gwen just smirked at him and took his hand in her own, pulling him backwards towards the teleport platform.

"Don't worry about it, love, I have a surprise for you," she said, reaching up to kiss his cheek. She turned to Tosh and Ianto, and gave them a sinister smile. "The Master sends his regards," she said with a wink, before raising her hand to press the teleport control, disappearing with Rhys.


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

**A/N:** Many thanks to the fabulous sparking_off for beta-ing. Any mistakes left are all mine.

We're entering the home stretch here, only a few to go. It's looking like 24+epilogue right now.

Next update should be Friday. Reviews are always great! Thanks for reading!

* * *

**Part 20b**

* * *

_Carreg Cennen Santuary – Later that evening_

After meeting up with other Aderyn refugees and travelling through the tunnels for several hours, Andy and the group from Torchwood Three arrived at Sanctuary, only to be met with a distraught Tosh and a grim-faced Rhiannon. They quickly brought the newcomers up to speed, and Jack cursed himself for not seeing the signs that Gwen had been under the Master's influence sooner. The loss of Rhys had demoralized his people, and a newfound sense of hopelessness seemed to fill the air. If the Master could take their leader, who were they to stop him?

"Where is he, Rhia?" Jack asked, knowing that Ianto would be taking on everything he could in order to distract himself from what had happened.

"He's in the council room," she responded, pointing to the far side of the cavern. "Tosh can show you the way." Jack nodded his thanks as Rhia patted his arm in understanding, before asking Owen and Martha if they cared to follow her to the infirmary to stow the supplies they brought.

"Well, that's us off to tend the wounded," sighed Owen, hoisting up the supply pack with a grunt. Martha nodded absently; she was already scanning the throng of people crowding the cavern, looking for Leo.

"He's over in housing," said Rhia with a smile. "Section D, row 12. He's quite the charmer, your brother. Just about as cheeky as mine," she added with a wink. Martha smiled.

"Go," said Owen, nodding over his shoulder. "Maybe he's heard from your Mum. Meet me back here later on. I am sure that Rhiannon and I could use your help."

Martha smiled wider, and kissed Owen's cheek before sprinting towards where Rhiannon had pointed. Owen just shook his head and followed Rhiannon to the infirmary.

Tosh watched him go, feeling a pang of jealousy at Owen's easy banter with Martha, before shoving the feeling aside and gesturing for Jack and the Doctor to follow her to the council room. Jack glanced around Sanctuary as they went, noticing that the infirmary had expanded since he had last been here, and that the walls of the cavern had been morphed into rocky apartments to replace the barracks. The tech station was flanked by several other work spaces including a kitchen, an armory, and a machine shop. As they neared the far side of the cavern, he saw a glass-walled room built into the side of the rock wall, filled with tables littered with maps and documents. Several elders and guardians surrounded the main table, where Ianto was going over the day's events. He glanced up and motioned for them to join them.

"So she must have been the spy," Ianto concluded his report on Gwen. Jack saw several of the members of the council look in his direction with mistrust.

"But for how long?" asked Elder Ceros. "She could have been sharing secrets for months. There is no telling what the Master knows."

"That's true," Ianto conceded. "But I think the main objective today was to capture Rhys. If the Master thinks that taking our leader is enough to make us back down, he is sadly mistaken. But my concern is how we are going to get him back." Mutterings of agreement filled the room, and Jack watched silently to see what Ianto had planned. "We traced the temporal signature of the teleport, and the tracker in Gwen's watch. She took him back to Cardiff and then on to London," Ianto continued. One of his team entered and whispered something in his ear. Ianto nodded, and she stepped back behind him. "Aleta has reported in from Washington," he told them. "The UN is sending President Winters to take over tomorrow's broadcast. Her team will be escorting him as far as London, and he should arrive by 02:00 to meet with Saxon before heading to the _Valiant_. Doctor, is your module ready? If we are going to make it onto the airship before he arrives, we need to move within the next five hours."

"Well, I need to go over the schematics one more time," the Doctor said, scratching his neck. "But with a little jiggery-pokery, it should be ready on time." He grinned.

Ianto's lips twitched as he tried not to smile in response. "I'm sure Tharin can help you," he said, gesturing to where the man sat at his left. "Use whatever technology you need."

'_And that means make sure you check that it actually works,'_ he sent to the Doctor, who scowled in response.

"We need to ensure that the Doctor is protected while he attempts the jump. I am assuming that the Captain's wrist strap can be reactivated, Doctor?" Ianto asked, daring him to say no.

"I suppose so, considering the circumstances," frowned the Doctor, before reaching for Jack's wrist and running his sonic screwdriver over it. When he released his arm, Jack flipped it open, checking the diagnostics before looking up at Ianto in thanks.

"Right then, Doctor, you and Tharin get to it. Pia?" The woman behind him stood at attention. "See to it that team Delta is ready to go to London by 23:00," Ianto ordered. "If we're going to rescue Rhys, we need to ensure that everyone is rested and ready to go. The rest of you, please help get our people settled. As of an hour ago, guards at all entrances have been doubled. Anyone who does not pass the bio-scan is not allowed entry. Our leader has been taken, and we are officially at war. Let's make sure that we protect our own and show the Master that while he may have taken our Brennin, we will not be broken." Several of the council members nodded in response, and Ianto stood up to leave the room, with Jack close behind.

Ianto led Jack over to a small chamber off the council room. As soon as the door had closed behind them, Ianto fell heavily into an armchair and rested his head in his hands.

Seeing the stress he was under, Jack knelt down and took his hands from his face and into his own.

"Tell me," he said, as he saw how tired Ianto really was.

"Gwen stole more than Rhys today, Jack. She took the Doctor's hand, and the Lazarus scanner too," Ianto replied, looking to see if Jack made the connection.

"But why would the Master want to alter the Doctor's DNA?" Jack asked.

"I'm not sure. Hell, I don't even bloody know what he wants with Rhys," Ianto stood, and began to pace the room in frustration. "What the hell was he thinking, Jack? I don't know how to be Lord of my people. I'm making this up as I go along, here."

Jack moved towards him and wrapped his arms around Ianto's waist. "You're doing a great job so far. Don't underestimate yourself, Ianto. I know you can do this, and Rhys chose you because he knew it too."

Ianto leaned into Jack. "But what if we can't get him back? What if we can't stop him in time?"

Jack turned Ianto to face him. "We'll find a way, we always do. Besides, the Doctor fixed this thing," he said, pointing to his wrist strap. "We can always try the temporal route on two fronts now if we have to," he added with a grin.

Ianto chuckled and leaned forward to put his forehead against Jack's, and sighed. "Promise me that no matter what happens, now that you have that thing back again, you won't go off and pull some big hero stunt and get yourself caught," he asked.

Jack tilted Ianto's head to look at him and stared into his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere without you," he promised, leaning in to give Ianto a soft kiss. "I missed you," he whispered, before leaning in to kiss him again.

Ianto smiled against his lips and was about to kiss him back when a knock at the door interrupted them.

"Enter," he called, stepping back from Jack .

"Sorry to interrupt, sir," said the young man at the door. Jack recognized him as Andy's cousin, Sparky. "But there's an update on the news, and well, you better come see."

Jack and Ianto exchanged a glance before hurrying to follow him.

Martha made her way back to the infirmary, and together she and Owen went in search of the Doctor, only to find him helping Tosh monitor the news. During a lull in newscasts, she tried calling her parents once more, only to have the Doctor stop her and point to the monitor at her left.

"Breaking news from London, an assassination plot on Prime Minister Saxon has been uncovered. The suspected ring leaders, Jack Harkness, Martha Jones, and John Smith, also known as the Doctor, are to be considered armed and dangerous," said the newsreader. As Martha watched in horror, images of her family being taken in for questioning, filled the screen.

"But that's my family!" exclaimed Martha. "They haven't done anything. Why is he doing this?" she asked the Doctor, tears of anger filling her eyes. He tried to pull her in for a hug, but she held him off. "No. We need to stop this now before it gets any worse. Whatever this perception filter-module plan is, you need to get it done. I am not going to sit by and let him destroy everything just to make a sick game out of it," she said, pulling her TARDIS key out of her pocket and slamming it into his hand. "I'll be over talking to Leo. You figure this out. When I get back, you better have a plan that works." Giving him a final glare, she turned on her heel and strode off to find her brother.

"Well, you heard the lady," said the Doctor, turning to Jack, who had come up to stand beside him. "Looks like I'm going to need your TARDIS key, Captain. Think we can convince your boyfriend and his Dad to help us out?" Jack looked over to where Ianto was checking on the guardians' movements nearby. He could feel the tension rolling off Ianto in waves. This was a role that he had never been meant to play, but as always, he had risen to the occasion.

'_I can hear you brooding from here. What's going on, Jack?'_ the man in question asked him, not looking up from the map he was studying with Denjiro.

'_The Doc wants you and your Tad's help with something, and I don't know what to tell him. Have you even seen him yet?'_ Jack asked, knowing that Ianto was still trying to sort out his feelings about what had happened to his father, and himself.

'_No. I-I don't know him, Jack. What would I even say to him?' _FeelingIanto struggle with the uneasiness surrounding his father, Jack was about to tell him to forget it, when Ianto surprised him and agreed. '_Your Doctor's a pushy bastard isn't he?' _he snarked. Jack grinned. If Ianto was snarky, he was going to be alright. _'Give me about ten minutes to help Denjiro prepare for the Tokyo operation, and then we can go. I guess I have to talk to him sometime.'_

'_Thank you,'_ Jack responded. _'I promise I'll try and keep Mr. Pushy in line.' _he added, and heard Ianto snort in reply.

"He'll do it," Jack said to the Doctor, handing over his TARDIS key. "But he's right, Doc, you can be pushy when you want to be. Keep in mind just what Ianto has been through as we do this, okay?"

The Doctor looked thoughtful. "Well, at least with more of us there, it might keep the awkwardness to a minimum."

Jack shook his head. "Keep telling yourself that, Doc."

* * *

As they approached the _Avalon_, Jack was amazed at how the ship had changed to fit in with the now active Sanctuary surrounding it. Gone was the massive silver ship, and in it's place was a multi-level crystal dome, filled with gardens to produce enough food to sustain the refugees surrounding her. As they stepped inside the structure, he felt a myriad emotions flitting through Ianto's mind as he began to come to terms with seeing his father.

They made their way through to the third tier, stopping at a platform surrounding the fountain running through the center of the dome. As they reached it, the shape of it reminded Jack of the console he had seen on his last visit. Seeing Tharin standing at nearby workbench confirmed his suspicions that this was indeed the console of the much-changed TARDIS. Tharin nodded in greeting, and Jack joined him and the Doctor as they started working on the perception filters for the TARDIS keys. Ianto was looking up at the swirling circular shapes etched into the dome above him, when he felt a presence behind him.

"Hello son," said a voice that he vaguely remembered from childhood dreams. Ianto turned slowly, and saw a man in a pinstriped suit, surrounded by golden light, watching him.

"Hello," Ianto answered, not sure what to call him.

"It's been a long time, Ifan. I've only seen you in dreams while I slept. You're even more handsome then I imagined," the TARDIS said with pride.

"Thank you," Ianto blushed, still not sure what to say.

"Can I ask you a favor, son? Your mother always said you would have beautiful wings, do you mind showing them to me?" the TARDIS asked. Ianto hesitated for a moment before nodding and closing his eyes to bring his wings forward. As he opened them to look at his father, he saw a golden tear running down his face. Not sure what was wrong, Ianto took a step towards him.

"What is it?" he asked, fearing that he had somehow disappointed the only parent he had left.

"Nothing, son, I am just so proud of you," he said. "There is so much power inside you, and it would corrupt a lesser man, but you, son, have made it an extension of who you already are. Time told me that you would be special, but I didn't realize how much." The TARDIS took a step towards him, and before Ianto knew it, he was in his Tad's arms. As they embraced, the song of time that surrounded them seemed to grow stronger. Feeling it start to resonate through him as well, Jack took an involuntary step forward.

Ianto stepped back from his Tad and reached for Jack's hand; as he did so, the melody in the room changed and added a new strain, this one slightly melancholy but just as strong as the others. Only the Doctor seemed to notice it, as he looked on in silence.

"Tad, I think you've met Jack,' said Ianto, lacing their fingers together.

The TARDIS smiled at them. "Of course. And I see that the two of you have been busy," he said with a knowing grin. Ianto blushed and Jack smiled.

"It's more than that," said the Doctor. "Earlier today, when they were speaking telepathically, Jack's eyes were as golden as Ianto's. I think whatever changes you TARDISes made to these two are further reaching then either of you planned."

"There is much they can do, but only time will tell how strong their bond will develop, and what their abilities will be," replied the TARDIS. "We TARDISes saw the possibilities of what they might accomplish. The rest is up to them."

"But will there be any other changes?" Ianto asked, fearful of what else might happen to the two of them.

His Tad shrugged. "Who knows? The main thing is that the two of you work through them together. Even though you are both strong in your own right, the power within the two of you is strongest when you work as one." Jack looked at Ianto and silently told him that they would be fine.

The Doctor cleared his throat to interrupt them.

"You had a request to make, did you not?" the TARDIS asked, raising an eyebrow at the Time Lord.

"Right, the perception filters, and a paradox modulator," said the Doctor. "I have three TARDIS keys, I want to boost these enough to sneak onto the _Valiant_ and disable the paradox machine with the modulator before the Master can activate it tomorrow. Do you think you can help?"

The TARDIS grinned as his jacket disappeared and he rolled up his sleeves. "Always did love a challenge," he said before getting to work.

* * *

_Heathrow Airstrip – Midnight_

As a perception-filtered Jack, Doctor, and Martha watched, Air Force One landed, and President Winters stepped out to confront Saxon. Glancing over to where Ianto stood in the back of the ranks behind the President, Jack saw the almost imperceptible nod as he let them know that the jump point on the _Valiant _had been cleared for them.

'_See you soon,'_ Jack sent him as they moved to place their hands on his wrist strap. _'And Ianto, make sure you keep that UNIT cap,'_ he added. As he pushed the button he felt Ianto mentally roll his eyes and shake his head in response.

They landed in a storage room on the _Valiant_, shaking their heads to stop the disorientation of jumping three people on one vortex manipulator at once.

"Right, your TARDIS should be down the aft corridor and to the left," said Jack, pulling up the blueprints for the airship on his wrist strap, and turning to walk down the corridor to his right. To his annoyance, the Doctor moved past him and sped in the opposite direction.

"No time for sight-seeing, Doc. Where are you going?" he hissed.

"She's this way, I can hear her, can't you?" the Doctor said, striding down the corridors with purpose. As they turned the last bend, they saw the TARDIS, before them, and Martha and Jack grinned at each other, happy to see their old friend again.

As they opened the doors and went inside, all of their faces fell as they saw what the Master had done.

"No, no, no, no, this is all wrong," said the Doctor, walking around the central console and running his sonic screwdriver over the grating in front of him.

"Can you fix it?" asked Jack, wincing at the keening song of misery the TARDIS was singing.

"I'm not sure," the Doctor replied, taking the module he had made from his coat and affixing it to the counter attached to the grating. As he turned the dials, the low keening of the TARDIS grew louder until it resembled a scream. The TARDIS herself suddenly materialized in front of them, flickering in and out of existence, her dress ragged, and tears running down her cheeks.

"You must stop, my Doctor," she begged. "He's put a fail-safe on my circuits. If you disarm the paradox machine, my console will implode." She reached through the holes in the grating to touch where the Doctor had placed his hand against it. "It is no fault of yours, or the Lord TARDIS. The module would work, but it would mean the destruction of me, and of Earth. The Master made sure that if anyone attempted to stop the countdown, his path of destruction would still succeed."

"But you're in so much pain," whispered the Doctor. "Is there nothing we can do?"

The TARDIS smiled at him fondly. "There's always another way, Doctor, and I trust you to find it."

"We have to stop the Master himself," said Martha. Jack nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but how do we stop him?" he asked.

The Doctor smiled at the TARDIS one last time before she faded and turned to face his companions. "Oh, I've got a way. Sorry, didn't I tell you?" he said with a manic grin.

* * *

_The Valiant Command Deck – 8:00AM_

As President Winters addressed the viewers across the world, the Doctor, Jack, and Martha entered the room and silently made their way up the far wall. The Doctor had told them on the way about his plan to slip his TARDIS key around the Master's neck so that it would cancel out his hold on the Archangel Network, and make his real agenda known. Jack and Martha had agreed to take his place if anyone stopped him. As they watched, the so-called Toclafane, a made-up name that the Doctor had told them was the Gallifreyan equivalent of the bogeyman appeared and began to taunt the President.

"This man is stupid," they taunted. "Master is our friend. Where's my Master, pretty please?"

"Oh, all right then. It's me," said the Master as he jumped out his chair at the boardroom table. "Ta-da! Sorry. Sorry, I have this effect. People just get obsessed. Is it the smile? Is it the aftershave?" He looked in Jack's direction and Jack gave an involuntary flinch. "Is it the capacity to laugh at myself?" the Master continued. "I don't know. It's crazy!"

President Winters scowled at him. "Saxon, what are you talking about?"

The Master looked at him in disgust. "I'm taking control, Uncle Sam. Starting with you." He nodded to the Toclafane in front of him. "Kill him." The President was hit with a beam of light and disintegrated.

Lucy laughed in glee, and the Master turned to the camera in front of him. "Now then, peoples of Earth, please attend carefully."

Seeing his chance, the Doctor rushed for the Master, only to be stopped by UNIT guards.

"We meet again at last, Doctor. Oh, ho! I love saying that!" exclaimed the Master. "Like you or your little friends could stop me. Oh, look! You brought the girlie and the freak. Although, I'm not sure which one is which. I guess I could ask her mother, but she's too busy being my new maid. Only one way to find out," He smirked, and fired a laser beam at Jack. Martha cried out and reached for him as he crumpled to the floor. "Laser Screwdriver! So much better then sonic," he crowed.

"Master, Stop this! Stop it now!" pleaded the Doctor. "You're killing the TARDIS, you're over -reacting to the drums in your head, you just need to calm down. Just stop, look at yourself…"

The Master issued out a long suffering sigh and turned back to the camera. "Oh, do excuse me, little bit of personal business. He can be a bit melodramatic. Be back in a tic." He turned away from the camera and gestured for the guards to let the Doctor go.

The Doctor pleaded with him some more, promising to help him stop the drums that he could hear echoing from the Master's mind to his own. As he glanced around the room and found Ianto hiding in the shadows, he saw the small nod acknowledging that he could hear them too. But the Master just ignored him and began pacing the room.

"Oh, how to shut you up," groused the Master, as he continued to pace. "I know, how about a little something I learned from Professor Lazarus, remember him?" The Doctor looked at him in horror, remembering how Jack had told him that the Lazarus bio-scanner had been stolen.

"What about him?" the Doctor asked cautiously, glancing toward Martha.

"What if I took his scanner and his technology and concentrated it all into one little screwdriver? But, ooh, if only I had the Doctor's biological code. Oh, wait a minute, I do! Miss Cooper, if you would please do the honors," the Master said, pushing on the intercom on the table.

The door to the command deck opened and Gwen walked through, holding a box in her arms. She walked to the end of the table and placed it in front of the Master. He reached out for her hand and kissed it before gesturing for her to sit down. "Thank you, my dear. Now where was I? Oh yes! Biology." He flicked a few clasps to open the box and reveal the Doctor's hand.

"So biological code, thanks to handy here, no problem. Lazarus made himself younger, well, that's just boring. How about instead we reverse it and make you older, Doctor, say another hundred years?" he said with a grin. Aiming the screwdriver at the hand, the Master grinned wider and turned to fire it at the Doctor, watching him convulse as he aged.

As the Master watched in glee, Jack revived and pressed his wrist strap into Martha's hands, telling her that they couldn't stop him and she had to leave before it was too late. Martha shook her head in protest, before running to help the now frail and aged Doctor.

"The Toclafane," wheezed the Doctor as he staggered to get up. "What are they, tell me, please!"

"Considering your hearts might break, and I want you around to see the rest of this…sorry, no," replied the Master. As he finished speaking, the Toclafane spoke again, asking him if it was time and if the machine was ready to sing. The Master glanced at his watch. "Two minutes past." He grabbed Lucy's hand and spun her around to join him at the base of the stairs.

Turning back to the camera, the Master smiled his trademark grin. "So! Earthlings. Basically, end of the world," he said, as he and Lucy moved to the bridge, gloating over the rip in time scorching the sky and counting the Toclafane swarming through to descend on the Earth below. The sound of the TARDIS screaming in pain filled the _Valiant_, and everyone except the Time Lords, Jack, and the Aderyn fell to the floor in pain at her onslaught. Knowing his cover was blown, Ianto ran to his friends. The Doctor stared at him with ancient eyes over Martha's shoulder as he shielded her from the screaming and whispered in her ear. Ianto grabbed Jack's hand to help him up.

"You have to go with her," Jack said, clutching Ianto's arm, trying to stand.

"I won't leave you here, Jack. I can teleport us off and-" started Ianto. Jack raised his finger to Ianto's lips.

"No, you have to get her out of here. My wrist strap may not work. He disabled John's so we can't take the chance that he can do the same to mine. I need you to do this," he said. Ianto opened his mouth in protest, but Jack shook his head, pleading with him to do as he asked. "Leave me here. I'll protect the Doctor, while Martha carries out the other part of his plan."

"Aw, young love, isn't that sweet," said the Master, watching them from the bridge. "I think we should reward them for that little display. What do you say, Lucy? Shall we decimate the Earth in their honor?" he asked smiling at her. "Nice word that – decimate. How many should we destroy, darling?"

She smiled back at him in adoration. "I think one-tenth would suffice," she answered, petting his arm.

"You heard the lady, remove one-tenth of the population!" shouted the Master.

The Toclafane renewed their onslaught, and the TARDIS's song went quiet. Transmissions from all over the world asking for help filled bridge. Jack looked over Ianto's shoulder and saw Gwen and the UNIT guards starting to stand up. He grabbed Ianto to him and kissed him as hard as he could, before pulling back and shoving Martha into his arms.

"Go!" Jack yelled at them. "Get out of here while you still can!" Martha nodded, pulled Ianto's hand over hers and pressed the activation button on the wrist strap. When it didn't work, she looked to Jack, only to see him staring at Ianto.

"We'll be back for you, I promise," Ianto said. "You better," replied Jack with a lopsided smile.

Ianto held his gaze a moment longer before shielding himself and Martha inside an energy bubble.

"Oh, isn't he precious. The little Aderyn thinks he's going to escape," taunted the Master, smiling at Lucy's responding giggle, before gesturing to the Toclafane to attack. They charged the sides of the bubble, only to fall to the floor smoking. Ianto turned to face him, eyes ablaze in light and golden wings unfurled behind him. The Master stared back at him, eyes narrowed. "You're not just Aderyn. What are you?" he demanded.

Ianto smiled at him. "Someone who is going to stop you," he said, pulling Martha close to him.

'_Good luck, my Ianto.'_ Jack's words ghosted across his mind. Ianto swallowed down the tears that threatened to fall and, pulling Martha close, teleported them from _Valiant_.

Landing in a field on the slopes below Carreg Cennen, Ianto quickly hid his wings, and led them to a nearby barn. Toclafane swarmed past overhead. Martha watched through a crack in the door, hearing Ianto curse in Welsh behind her before kicking an empty milk jug so hard that it flew across the barn and smashed through the opposite wall. Taking her friend in her arms, she held him tightly as they both sobbed in frustration.

"We'll get through this, Martha, I promise you," he vowed. "And when we do, so help me, if he harms Jack in any way, I'll kill him." Martha nodded and leaned back, watching the stoic mask descend onto Ianto's face as he buried his emotions to take on the task at hand.

"The Master won't win, Ianto. You'll see," sniffed Martha, drying her tears and looking up at him. "The Doctor had a backup plan, and we are going to make it happen." Ianto searched her face, and seeing the resolution there, made a decision.

"I may be acting Brennin, but I'll be damned if I am going to sit by and let you do this alone," he said, stepping back from her to open the trap door in the barn floor leading to the tunnels. "Let's get moving. You can tell me this plan along the way." Martha nodded and took his hand as he helped her down and shut the trap door behind them.

Back on the _Valiant_, the Master drank a glass of scotch at the table of the now quiet command deck, congratulating himself and toasting the success of the day.

"Well, I think that went rather well, don't you?" he asked, raising his glass to the stasis chamber housed in the glass alcove behind him. The unmoving eyes of Rhys Williams, Brennin of the Aderyn, stared back at him.


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

**A/N:** The next two chapters are a little dark, but there are moments of light and levity. I promise that the payoff in the end will be worth it.  
Many thanks to the fabulous sparking_off for beta-ing. Any mistakes left are all mine.  
Next update should be Sunday. Reviews are always great! Thanks for reading!

* * *

**Part 21

* * *

**

_Nine Months Later – the Valiant_

John rolled over and sat up on the side of the bed. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw his companion was still asleep. They had been bedfellows since she threw him against the wall, shoving her tongue down his throat and gripping him tight enough to leave no doubt as to her intentions. After several months of not getting laid, John didn't argue. Sex with Miss Cooper was raw, animalistic, and downright scary, even by John's standards. More then once he had left her quarters battered and bruised, bite marks littering his chest where she had drawn blood, simply to see his reaction. As he looked over her prone form, he wondered, not for the first time, if he would escape her in one piece. She had become the Master's General, his right hand, the go-to girl for torture, and seemed to revel in making her prey scream. He shuddered, knowing that he was in too deep to get away unscathed.

As if knowing that he was watching her, Miss Cooper's eyes suddenly flicked open. John had long since trained himself not to back down under scrutiny, and prided himself on not flinching when she stared directly at him. She didn't move, but seemed to be searching his face for something. Seeming to have found what she was looking for, she started to speak.

"I don't have much time. I can only break through when she is sleeping, and I need your help," she said.

John wasn't sure what to make of her words, so he chose the cautious route in case it was some kind of trick. "And what pray tell, could the Master's General possibly want from me?" he asked, smirk slipping into place.

To his surprise, she shivered, and turned away from him. When she looked at him again, gone was the steely gaze he knew so well. In it's place were frightened eyes, full of pain. "That isn't me," she whispered. "Miss Cooper is a construct that the Master has forced into my mind. The real me, Gwen Cooper, is stuck inside, watching her destroy everything I believe in." She shuddered, face contorting as she tried to remain in control. "Day after day, she annihilates humanity for the Master, coating my hands with the blood of the human race. Oh God, she's even made me betray my boyfriend, and my team. Please, you have to help me find a way to stop this." She gripped his arm, pleading with him to listen.

John swallowed. Mind control was a tricky thing, and he had to tread carefully. If what she said was true, the construct might know what was happening even now. Considering his options, he decided to see what she had to say.

"What did you have in mind?" he asked, wincing as he extracted his arm from her grip.

Gwen breathed, hoping that by giving him this information, she might somehow be able to redeem herself for what she had done. "I need you to contact the Aderyn called Victory," she told him. "He needs to know that the Master is setting a trap for him and the other affinity stone holders. He already has Rhys in stasis, and Lucy will soon join him. He plans on collecting the other three, something about an element engine. I don't know what that means, but I think he wants to use them to power it. He's planning on using it when he begins his assault on the universe. Tokyo is the first trap, we need to warn them before it's too late," She spoke in a rush. As John watched, she started to shiver again, almost convulsing, and he realized that her time was short.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked quietly, not sure what to do.

"No one can help me," she whispered, her hold fading. "I can see what she does to you, John, and I'm sorry. All I ask is that if I can get through again, you hold me. I can't even cry for what I have done, she won't let me. Please just try and make this one thing right. It might be the only way to keep him from spreading this hell. If we stop him from capturing them, we still have some hope of stopping him."

John reached up and brushed her hair from her eyes, and nodded. Satisfied that she had relayed her message, she smiled at him weakly before her eyes fluttered closed, and her body went limp. Not knowing how long he had before Miss Cooper returned, John stood up and stretched. As he did so, he felt a foot kick him in the back of the legs, knocking him to his knees.

"Who said you could get up, Captain?" Miss Cooper hissed in his ear, pulling his head back by his hair. "I have the annihilation of Buenos Aires to oversee today, and you know how cranky I get if I don't get a good shag before breakfast."

"I was just going to clean up a bit before the next round," John drawled, trying to keep his tone light despite the pain he was in.

Keeping her grip on his hair, Miss Cooper pulled his head back further for a savage kiss. "Just remember, you agreed to this, Captain," she said, biting his lower lip until it bled. "You're mine, and if you want to stay on the Master's good side, you'd best keep me happy." Licking his blood from her lips, she released him, and walked to the shower. "Ladies first," she threw over her shoulder. "You can get up once I'm done." Giving him one last cold smile, she shut the door behind her.

John waited until the water started before standing up and walking to the mirror over his dresser. Contemplating his reflection, he noted the cut bleeding on his lip from her bite. Hearing the water still running, he reached into the top drawer and pulled a small safe from the back of it. Scanning his thumb, the safe opened, and he removed the small white stone inside. Holding it in his hand, he studied it for a moment before walking over to place it inside the pocket hidden inside of his jacket. The water stopped, and he resumed his place on the ground as the door opened.

Miss Cooper walked towards him, drying herself off, and smiled seeing that he was still where she left him. "Very good, Captain," she purred, leaning over him, and holding his chin in her hand. "Now, I have about a half hour before I'm needed on the command deck. How about you give me your full attention until then?" Not waiting for an answer, she stood up and presented herself to him. Seeing no other option, John let her pull his head forward to acquiesce to her request.

* * *

_Aderyn Outpost – Senso-ji Temple, Asakusa, Tokyo_

Denjiro led Martha through the passageways of Tokyo's oldest temple, making sure to pay his respects to Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy to whom the temple was dedicated, as he passed her shrine. Entering Yogodo Hall, he slid open the panel behind the altar and ushered Martha down the steps behind it into the passages below.

"My family has been honored to have several monks serve here," explained Denjiro, leading her further into the depths of the temple. They walked past several vacant cells that had once housed the temple monks, and made a few more turns before walking through an elaborate gate that led to a great hall. "This was once the dining hall," Den explained. "It was turned into a safe house for Aderyn and their allies in the 1890's." As Martha took stock of her surroundings, she noticed several monitors and computer terminals stood alongside ancient Jade statues, and the antique lacquered table in the center of the room was littered with maps and dispatches from around the world. Denjiro gestured for her to come to the table, and the two of them began to plot the next part of her journey, back across Europe and home to Great Britain.

* * *

_The Valiant – later that morning_

The Master started his day dancing around the command deck, not a care in the world. After dancing briefly with Lucy, he tried Francine Jones's latest attempt at tea, only to throw it back in disgust. The woman was the worst domestic ever, but having her within his grasp was a piece of leverage he planned on using, should Martha ever show her face again. Smiling to himself, he rang the Doctor's bell, summoning him from his dog kennel bed, and dragged him over to the window to watch the Toclafane prepare for their latest assault, this time on Buenos Aires.

"Ah yes, the new Time Lord Empire. It's ready to rise. It's good, isn't it?" asked the Master, waving his hand in front of the Doctor's impassive face. "Nothing to say? " He looked back out the window as the Toclafane floated by. "Oh, but they broke your hearts when you worked out what they really are. Didn't they? I bet Martha would be just as sad," he pouted, mocking him. "I hear she's coming home soon. Won't that be nice?" He saw Francine's back go rigid where she was cleaning the table, and he smiled to himself. If the Doctor wouldn't answer, at least he would get a response from her family.

"Leave her alone," the Doctor growled at him in his now ancient voice.

"How about, no?" the Master sniffed, before turning to the Doctor, eyes narrowed. "You said something to her, didn't you? On the day I took control, what was it?"

The Doctor's lips twitched, knowing the one thing that would keep the Master off balance. "I have one thing to say to you. You know what it is," he responded in a calm voice.

The Master instantly recoiled and pushed the Doctor away from him. The Doctor crawled back to his bed, as the doors to the command deck opened, revealing Miss Cooper, with John Hart behind her.

"Miss Cooper, so lovely to see you, my dear." The Master moved across the room to kiss her hand, and she bowed her head in response. "I take it all is ready for today's little excursion?"

Miss Cooper looked over his shoulder to see Lucy, glaring daggers at her. Smirking to herself, she leaned in to give the Master a kiss on the cheek before whispering in his ear with a smile. "All ready and waiting your command, sir." Lucy's eyes turned red, and flames flickered in her clenched fists. "I think the wifey might be jealous," Gwen purred into his ear. "Isn't it about time to make her behave?" she asked, before stepping back.

The Master turned to see Lucy barely keeping her fire under control. The affinity stone on her neck caught the light streaming through the portholes, and the Master smiled at her. "Lucy, sweetheart," he said, voice honey-sweet as he moved towards her and stroked her cheek. "Don't worry about these little humans. They are nothing to me compared to you, my dear." He lifted her now cool hand to his lips and kissed it. "You are worth ten of them." He smiled at her, and Lucy leaned into him as he gathered her into his arms.

"Really, Harry?" she asked, unsure.

"My faithful companion. How could you ever doubt my need for you?" he replied, leaning in to kiss her softly. As he did so, he raised his laser screwdriver behind her, causing the metallic wall to lift, and expose the stasis alcove next to Rhys. "I have a surprise for you," he smiled down at her. She looked around, wondering what it was. "Now, now, it won't be a surprise if you peek." He touched the tip of her nose, as if chastising a small child. Lucy giggled and closed her eyes, bouncing slightly in place with expectation. The Master spun her around twice, and backed her closer to the alcove.

"Now take a step back, and wait. It will be here in just a moment," He kissed her cheek, and she took a step backwards, smiling. As soon as she was in the alcove, he raised his screwdriver again and closed the glass door. Lucy's eyes were still closed.

"Harry? What's happening? Can I open them now?" she asked. The Master smiled, and entered a code into the panel to the right of the door.

"Of course you can, dearest," he said, watching as gas filled the chamber to begin the stasis sequence.

Lucy's eyes sprung open and she realized where she was. "Harry! What's happening! Let me out!" she cried, banging on the door. She tried to ignite a fireball to throw at the door, but found that she was too weak to do so. She continued to beat against the door, only to watch the Master wave goodbye to her and making a pouty face. Looking over his shoulder, she saw the satisfied smile gracing Miss Cooper's face, the disgusted look of Captain Hart, and the horrified face of the Doctor. Finally realizing what a pawn she had been, she turned back to her husband, and started to yell at him in anger. The Master calmly hit another series of buttons and all sound inside the chamber was muffled. He leaned forward and kissed the glass before bringing the wall back down and concealing it from view.

"Well, now that the Mrs. is out of the way, what do you say we go decimate Buenos Aires?" said the Master, holding out his arm for Miss Cooper. She took it with her cold smile, and they walked out of the boardroom. Captain Hart took one last look at the panel of wall hiding Lucy's stasis chamber, before glancing to the Doctor and following them out.

* * *

_Later that evening – Sanctuary Base, Carreg Cennen_

Ianto stood in the council room, planning the next supply run and going over Martha's proposed route through Europe. Rhiannon stood beside him. Since she began training with their Tad, her telepathic abilities had grown exponentially. She had become a bigger part of the guardian taskforce, her ability to communicate silently with her brother over long distances making her a great asset on raids. By necessity her fighting skills had improved as well, and Ianto almost didn't recognize the hardened warrior next to him as the motherly figure he had relied on for most of his life.

"If she goes through Russia, down through Afghanistan, and up through Turkey to Romania, we can have Sigma team meet her in Budapest, escorting her the rest of the way," Rhiannon said, pointing out the route.

"Russia is risky," commented Ianto. "Shipyard Number One runs from the Bering Straight to the Black Sea. If she stays close to the border she might be alright, but the perception filter will only protect her. Anyone with her will likely be caught." The possibility that she may have to trek most of it alone was becoming more and more likely.

"What if you went with her?" Rhiannon asked. "I know you've been working with Tad. He said that you almost have the natural perception filter from your TARDIS side down. Do you think you can hold it long enough to make it through with her?"

Ianto considered. He had barely managed to hold it more then ten minutes the last time, before making an emergency jump back to Sanctuary once he had been spotted. It might work, but it would have to be a last resort. Rhiannon smiled at him, hearing his mind at work.

"Stop it, Rhia," scowled Ianto. "You know that freaks me out."

"Only because half the time your mind is on Jack, you git," she smirked. Her face turned serious. "Have you heard from him lately?" she asked, sensing the sadness that suddenly surrounded her brother.

Ianto shook his head. "It's been months, Rhia. He's blocking me for some reason. I can only get images from him, feelings really. He's so tired. All they do is kill him over and over. I wish…" He trailed off.

Rhiannon placed her hand on his arm. "The Doctor's countdown is up soon. Three months more and you'll be together again."

"But even if his plan works and time resets, will we ever be able to get past all that has happened?" wondered Ianto, seeing the image of Jack's most recent death in his mind's eye.

Rhiannon didn't answer him, but instead pulled him close. "We'll find a way, Ianto," she said, rubbing her hand in circles on his back. "We all will."

A beeping noise from Ianto's pocket pulled them out of their reverie. Reaching for the message stone that he kept almost as a talisman, Ianto stared at it in wonder before whispering the word play to see what the message held.

"Hello, Eye-Candy," said a hologram of John Hart. Ianto's heart sank. He had been hoping for word from Jack, that somehow he had managed to break free of the Master's hold. "I'm sure you weren't expecting me, but Jack is indisposed at the moment, and this is the only way to get a hold of you." Ianto looked closer and noticed the finger marks bruising John's neck, and the remnant of a black eye marring his cheek. "I am sending this to you in the hope that you can pass it on to someone named Victory," John continued. Ianto smiled, glad that at least his codename had not been found out. "I asked Jack how to use this after the Doctor made his latest escape attempt. Turns out that the Master's laser screwdriver is encoded to only work for him. If you saw the last transmission, you know how that one turned out."

Ianto winced. He had seen it; the Doctor had been diminished to an elf-like state as a result. "Jack and Martha's clan are all fine, though a little singed," John went on. "The thing is, this message concerns Miss Cooper, or Gwen Cooper as she once was." Ianto's eyes narrowed. Gwen was the last person he wanted to talk about. Since she had become Miss Cooper, she was now their nemesis. What was Hart up to? As he watched, he saw Hart pause and run a hand over his face as if trying to decide how to continue.

"Ianto, I think that's your name, at least that's what Jack keeps calling out in his sleep." Hart smirked. "Gwen isn't herself." Hart grimaced, and looked off to the left as if searching for the right words to appear. "What I mean to say is, well, she's trapped, inside of her own head. The Master has total control over her. "

"What does he mean, trapped?" asked Rhiannon. Not knowing himself, Ianto shrugged and listened to the message.

"She has moments, small ones, when Miss Cooper is sleeping, when she can break through his hold." Hart licked his lips, and stopped again.

"He's hiding something," said Rhiannon. "If he's with her when she's asleep, they must be sleeping together. I think he's unsure whether to tell you."

"Fuck it. Listen, I started sleeping with her a few months back. It was good at first, but now she spends more time beating the shit out of me then screwing. The point is, I put up with it because your Gwen is still in there, and sometimes…" Hart trailed off. He actually cared about her, realized Ianto. He watched as the image of Hart rolled back his shoulders and composed himself. Clearing his throat, Hart continued. "She wanted me to send you the message. The Master is coming for you. He has a trap set for one of you in Tokyo. Something about afty, no wait, _affinity _stone holders." Ianto's eyes went wide. Denjiro. He needed to get a message out to him right away. Rhiannon sensed his thoughts and nodded, going to get the Tokyo base online. "He has Rhys and Lucy in stasis now, and Gwen said that he plans on using all of you to help power an elemental engine and conquer the rest of the universe. We can't let that happen," Hart said, before glancing to the side again. "I need to go. Miss Cooper is on her way back. One last thing, The Master knows Martha is on her way back. Whatever she has planned, make sure she stays away from Tokyo. We're heading there next, and then back to Great Britain. Good luck. Hart out."

As the message ended, Rhiannon turned to her brother. "Tokyo is on secure line 3. I have Denjiro for you," she said, holding out the headset to her brother. Ianto reached for it and took a deep breath before putting the headset on and starting to speak.

"Den? Victory here. I realize that you are about to leave, but we have a problem. "


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

**A/N:** Things are still a bit dark for our heroes at the moment, but I promise that the payoff in the end will be worth it. Hopefully the Japanese comes out okay, I have a hard time with formal/non-formal tenses. Senso-ji Temple is a real place, has a huge red lantern in front of it, and is the oldest temple in Tokyo. If you are ever there, I highly recommend visiting it, and the market in the outer courtyard.

Many thanks to the fabulous sparking_off for beta-ing. Any mistakes left are all mine. Next update should be Friday. Reviews are always great! Thanks for reading!

* * *

**Part 22**

* * *

_Aderyn Outpost – Senso-ji Temple, Asakusa, Tokyo_

After talking to Ianto, Denjiro decided that he and Martha would set out at midnight the following evening, using the cover of darkness to help slip under the Master's radar. Ianto was to join them once they made it across the Mongolian border, allowing Denjiro to head back to Japan, while Ianto and Martha made their way back to Great Britain on foot.

Knowing that the journey ahead would be long, Martha settled down to an uneasy sleep, trusting that Denjiro and the monks would keep her safe. At around 2am, the sound of dogs barking and shouting outside the temple walls startled her awake. Grabbing her pack, she quickly laced her boots and headed for the door, only to find Denjiro waiting for her.

"She's here," he said. "Miss Cooper. The _Valiant_ went subsonic and arrived an hour ago. We need to move now." Martha zipped up her jacket and followed him out the door and through the basement of the temple. The copper tang of blood filled the air, and the inane giggle of the Toclafane echoed through the halls. Denjiro set up an electricity field behind them, hoping to short out any of them that followed, and judging by the scream they heard as they rounded the corridor, they weren't far behind.

"Do you have your message stone?" Denjiro asked Martha, as they caught their breath behind a statue of Buddha in the main garden. Martha nodded. A group of Toclafane zoomed past , and the two of them crouched low, making their way behind the statues, and out the side gate of the temple. Inching along the outer wall, they snuck past a platoon of soldiers, with Miss Cooper at the lead, shouting at them to kill everyone inside, but to take Denjiro Sato and Martha Jones alive. An image of each of them was handed to each soldier as they passed through the gate. Martha and Denjiro held their breath until the last soldier had passed. As soon as the gate was clear, they made a run for it, sprinting down the now vacant streets into the night.

* * *

Miss Cooper was fuming. Someone had let the Aderyn know they were coming. All of the maps and dispatches on the main table were months old, and the monitors on the walls were hooked up to dummy terminals, showing the same information cycling over and over. There had to be a spy in their midst, there was no other explanation. Tapping her nails on the lacquered table at the center of the room, she mulled over in her mind who had known of the attack. Besides the Master, only her senior commanders had known. She hadn't even told Captain Hart. Something nagged at the back of her mind. She hadn't talked in her sleep, had she? Before she had a chance to ponder it further, Captain Hart himself approached to give her an update.

"The temple is secure. No Aderyn present. Only human casualties. What do you want me to do with the prisoners?" he asked, gesturing to the monks kneeling at gun point on the other side of the room.

Miss Cooper looked at the ten monks who had sheltered her prey. "Take them out and shoot them at the front gate. Hang them up next to that damn lantern as a warning for others. It won't matter tomorrow anyway," she said dismissively. Eying the jade dragons flanking the main monitor, she turned to one of the soldiers. "Take those with us. Hopefully new adornments to the command deck will appease the Master somewhat, considering our failure this evening." Turning on her heel, she made her way back up to the main level. "I want this city turned inside out," she said to Hart as they ascended the stairs. "You have until noon to find them. After that, Tokyo will be a scorch mark on the Asian seaboard. Make sure you get to the airfield for evac on time, and with Denjiro Sato and Martha Jones. After that, don't bother coming, as the EMP precluding the blast will disable your teleport and not even your bones will remain. Now get to work."

* * *

Under the cover of darkness, Martha and Denjiro made their way out of Tokyo to the surrounding countryside. With a little help from Denjiro's wings and some cloud cover, by morning, they had reached Lake Kawaguchi, near the base of Mt. Fuji. Cold and tired, they stopped at a small medical clinic at one of the nearby labor camps to get their bearings. Martha was given a berth in the on-call room to rest, while Denjiro kept watch and tried to negotiate transportation as far as Nagano. After a short troubled sleep, Denjiro shook her awake, covering her mouth, and gesturing to her to keep quiet. Yelling could be heard coming from outside the clinic, demanding that everyone present themselves for inspection.

"It's Hart and a bunch of UNIT goons," Denjiro hissed, as he released her to peak through a crack in the door. Martha nodded and grabbed a couple of lab coats from the nearest locker. They two of them quickly donned them, adding surgical caps and masks, hoping to go unnoticed as they attempted to slip out the back. Keeping to the shadows, they managed to make it to the back door of the clinic without being stopped. With one last glance around, Denjiro stood to open the door, with Martha right beside him.

"If we run into any trouble, run for the trees alongside the lake," said Den, his hand on the door handle. "Even if I am caught, don't wait, you have to keep going Martha. Promise me you won't hesitate." He held Martha's gaze, making sure she understood what was to happen. After a beat, Martha closed her eyes, in a silent prayer that there would be no need for her to act on her promise, and nodded her agreement. Satisfied, Denjiro opened the door, ushering them outside, and directly into a squad of soldiers guarding the door, led by Captain Hart.

"We'll need to see some ID," one of the soldiers asked, poking Denjiro in the chest with his gun. Den pulled the medical staff passes from his pants pocket, and waited for them to be cleared for passage. Hart stood off to the side, leaning against the building, clearly bored.

"Have you seen this woman?" another soldier, wearing sergeant's stripes, and apparently the leader of the group, asked as he held up a picture of Martha and handed the passes back.

"No," replied Denjiro, shaking his head for emphasis. The sergeant looked closely at Martha one more time, before shoving Denjiro towards the door and telling them to get back to work. Martha released a breath she didn't know she held, and made her way back inside. As the door was about to close, the sergeant stuck his foot out to stop it.

"One more thing," he said, pushing the door open wide. "I'll need you to take off those masks. Miss Cooper just called in. We have to check everyone. No exceptions. When Martha hesitated, he raised his gun. "If you would care to come back outside," he said, the steel in his voice telling Martha that she didn't have a choice in the matter. She nodded and with Denjiro behind her, made her way back out the door.

"Now if you would be so kind," he said, keeping his rifle trained on them.

Martha reached for the tie at the back of her mask, knowing that they were caught. As Denjiro reached back to follow suit, he suddenly thrust her behind him, and leapt over the soldiers, flipping through the air to land between them, his katana in hand. As Martha watched, he knocked the assault rifles from their hands, and kicked two of them unconscious. The sergeant still had his gun trained on Martha, and deciding that she wasn't worth the trouble, aimed down the barrel, ready to shoot her if she so much as flinched. Denjiro knocked down two more of the group and rushed to her aid. The sergeant spun around, and fired blindly, missing Den, and taking out one of his own men. Martha looked to where Hart stood at the edge of the fray, and watched him roll his eyes and mutter 'amateurs' while shaking his head. Denjiro continued his attack on the sergeant, knocking away his gun and trading blows, until finally his katana hit home and his adversary crumpled to his knees.

"Nigenasai!"* Shouted Den, telling Martha to make a run for it. She only hesitated a moment before running ran past them, to the woods beside the lake.

Denjiro resumed his onslaught, beating down half of the remaining squad before one of them got off a lucky shot to his shoulder, slowing him down enough to be caught. As the soldiers pushed him to his knees and prepared to execute him, Hart yelled at them to stop. Martha watched, panting behind a tree as he pulled the affinity stone from underneath Denjiro's jacket and let it fall across his chest. Denjiro spat in his captor's face and stared at him in defiance. Hart smiled back, and smacked him hard across the head, knocking him out.

"Get up you idiots," Hart barked at the soldiers. Battered and bleeding, they struggled to their feet. "Don't hurt him any further, the Master wants this one alive," he ordered. After they bound Denjiro's hands and ankles, Hart sent them inside to get a stretcher so that they could move him. As soon as they left, Hart crouched down and searched Denjiro's pockets. He finding Den's message stone, he crushed it underfoot. Martha was confused. If he knew to look for it, why would he crush it so that it could not be used? Hart straightened up and looked straight at her. Martha stared back, unsure of what to do. He gestured to the dock behind her and mouthed the word "Go!" She hesitated, and he nodded at her before turning back to address the soldiers re-emerging from the doorway behind him.

Not sure what to think, Martha made a run for it, hoping that she would at least have a head start before anyone came after her.

* * *

_Sanctuary – Carreg Cennen _

Ianto was pacing back in forth in a loop, and it was starting to get on Rhiannon's nerves. As he made his tenth circuit of the room, she had, had enough, and stood in front of him.

"You aren't going to help them by worrying yourself sick," she tutted, forcing him to a standstill. "Go lie down for a moment. I'll let you know as soon as they check in." Ianto started to protest, and Rhia stared him down. "Seriously, if you don't go and rest, you are going to fall over. Have you looked in a mirror lately? How are you going to help them if you can't even stand?"

Ianto sighed. He knew she was right, but he couldn't get over the feeling that something was very wrong. Closing his eyes in frustration, he nodded, and with a final glance to the still silent Tokyo comm., he left the room.

On the way out, he saw Tosh staring at him from the tech command center and he shook his head, letting her know that they didn't have any news. Seeing the hope die in her eyes, he gave her a half smile of reassurance before making his way to his quarters.

Throwing himself down on the bed, he shut his eyes, desperately trying to sleep and hoping that wherever Martha and Denjiro were, they were safe. He had barely closed his eyes when his message stone pulsed, and flashed red, for emergency. He started the message, hoping that the sense of foreboding he had felt all morning would not come to fruition.

As the message began to play, worry turned to outright fear. Martha had contacted him from an abandoned post office in a town called Oishi, near Lake Kawaguchi, about 5 hours west of Tokyo. Denjiro had been captured, and she was on her own. Ianto thought back to the message that Hart had sent, and realized that it had been too late. Of the affinity stone holders, only he and Rhiannon remained out of the Master's clutches. Martha's next words drew him back to the present, and almost caused him to drop the stone in horror.

"I overhead some of the soldiers earlier while they were searching the nearby library," she whispered. "The Master is going to level Japan at noon local time today; make it an example of what happens when people stand up to him. We can't save them. There isn't time. All we can do is help make the Doctor's plan come through. It's our only hope." As he watched her fight off tears, Ianto felt his own fall down his cheek. "I need you to find me before time runs out, we can't risk that the timeline won't reverse. Denjiro gave himself up to save me, please, Ia-Victory, please get here, before it's too late." Her image stared at him a moment longer, before a crash could be heard behind her. "Jones out," she whispered and was gone.

Ianto looked at his watch. It was 10:30am in Tokyo. No time to lose. Throwing on his flack jacket and grabbing his guns, he ran out the door.

* * *

_Post Office – Oishi, Japan_

Martha sat crouched behind the counter of the derelict post office. The soldiers who had been there half an hour ago had now left via helicopter, and only local citizen patrols remained. Feeling her legs start to cramp, she slid to the floor and looked at her watch. 11:38am. She had sent the message to Ianto over an hour ago. Silently, she prayed to a God she wasn't sure she believed in anymore that he would get it in time to get her out. The door to the post office jingled, and she returned to her crouch, holding her gun at the ready as she made to fire on the latest intruder. As she was about to fire on the door, she heard someone call out.

"Sumimasen. Martha Jones wo sagashite imasu,"** said a male voice. Martha peeked through the mail slots to see a man, taller than an average Japanese male, moving towards her.

"Chotto matte kudasai,"*** called Martha, stalling for time. It could be Ianto, but she had to make sure before she gave up her position.

He stepped forward again. "Martha?" said a very familiar voice with a lilting Welsh accent.

Before she knew what she was doing, Martha jumped up over the counter and into Ianto's arms, clinging on to him as tight as she could. He laughed and held her close, happy that she was safe.

"Samishi katta desu!" said Ianto. Martha pulled back from him and grinned.

"English, Jones," she said, smacking his arm.

"I missed you so much," he repeated, this time in English. Martha smiled at him, before glancing to the clock on the wall. It was 11:50am. Sirens sounded and the Master's voice could be heard booming from the _Valiant _loudspeakers overhead.

"Peoples of Earth, your Lord and Master has found traitors in our midst. Traitors who think that my tenure as your ruler has been unjust, unfair. Well, basically, people that are a royal pain in the arse, and can't seem to get with the program." There was a pause, and Ianto used it to pull the map from his pocket to consult it one more time, looking over their destination and the pictures that Tosh had printed for reference. He pointed it out to Martha, who nodded her understanding. He replaced the map in his pocket and pulling his wings forward, he reached for Martha.

"Hold tight onto my waist, just like before, and don't let go," he said. She nodded and kissed his cheek.

"For luck," she said, and snuggled up tight against him. Ianto grinned.

"Star Wars clichés Miss Jones?" he asked. "Are you a closet fangirl?"

"A little," Martha huffed. "Okay fine. I had a few Lando Calrissian posters. Billy Dee Williams was hot when he was younger," she conceded.

"Your secret is safe with me. Besides, I always had a bit of a thing for Han Solo," Ianto replied, with a smile.

"I guess scoundrels really are your type," replied Martha. Ianto laughed, thinking of Jack. She had a point. Glancing at the clock one last time, he pulled her tight against him.

"Thanks for the memories, Japan. Oh! And sayonara!" boomed the Master. The clock struck twelve. As the bombs rained over Japan, Ianto and Martha disappeared.

* * *

_Vladivostok, Russia _

The light faded around Ianto and Martha, bringing the interior of a warehouse in Vladivostok harbor into view. Ianto quickly hid his wings, and the two cautiously left the building though a side door. People had emerged from where they had been working on dry-docked tankers, tearing them apart so that the metal could be taken to the inland Russian rocket shipyards, watching as Japan burned. The two rebels stood in silence, watching across the sea as the land they had just left fall to ash, much as Ianto's home world and countless other cities on Earth had done before. Martha put her hand in his, and the two of them looked around before taking a deep breath and setting out for their next destination. They had three months to complete their mission, and after today they knew, now more than ever, that they could not fail.

* * *

_The Valiant- One Month Later_

John Hart watched Tish walk past him to bring Jack his daily meal of protein grits and water. As he fell into step alongside her, she glanced at him with contempt before continuing on her way. Once they reached the corridor before Jack's prison in the bulkheads, he leaned in close, giving a show for the guards at the end of the hallway.

"I sent a message to Eye-Candy," he whispered, pretending to nibble on her ear. "But it was too late. Sato was captured, but I made sure your sister got away. I've heard from them. They're both safe, somewhere in Russia. Make sure he knows that." Only Tish's trembling hands gave any indication that she had heard him. Sniffing her hair one more time and declaring her good enough to eat, loud enough for the guards to chuckle at her distress, John let Tish moved forward to deliver hope to the Captain.

That night, as Tish relayed Hart's message to her family, and they swore vengeance for all that the Master had done, Jack dreamed. Though he had fallen asleep upright with his hands in shackles, he found himself lounging naked on a bed of red satin, with Ianto lying next to him. Jack pulled his lover close, relishing the feel of Ianto's body against his own for the first time in almost a year. Releasing his hold, he crushed their lips together, wanting nothing more then for this to be real, wishing that he could truly hold him, and let him know how much he missed him.

Ianto smiled against his lips. "It may only be in your mind Jack, but I really am here," he whispered. Jack looked back at him, not sure if this was just a really good dream, or the real thing.

"Of course it's real, you twpsyn" Ianto smiled at him. "Not quite sure how, but I fell asleep tonight in Mongolia, freezing my arse off with Martha, inside some weird, round shack thing called a yurt, only to wake up next to you."

Jack smiled. If Ianto was calling him names in Welsh, it was good enough for him. "But how?" he asked, only to see Ianto do that little nose crinkle of confusion that he loved so much.

"Not sure actually." Ianto looked thoughtful. "My guess is another one of those weird things that just seem to happen to us. I for one have missed you, and am not going to second guess it."

Jack chuckled. "As you wish, Mr. Jones. Far be it from me to deny us the rare moment of peace in the middle of hell." With that, he and Ianto proceeded to lose themselves in one another, hands, tongues, and mouths, mapping each other's bodies, desperately trying to remember every single inch of each other, not knowing when they would have this chance again. Afterward, as they lay basking in the afterglow, a light seemed to envelope Ianto and he began to fade from view.

"Not yet!" exclaimed Jack, reaching for him. Ianto pulled him close for one last kiss, and pushed something into his palm. "So you know it was more then a dream," he said, stroking Jack's cheek. "Oh, and Jack, please don't block me anymore, there's only two months to go, and you never know when I might need to reach you."

Jack nodded. "I promise," he whispered. Ianto began to fade again, and just before he was gone, Jack reached for him. "Ianto, I-," he started. But he never got a chance to finish. Ianto was gone.

Jack awoke on the _Valiant_, with an anguished cry, still shackled in place. He flexed his arms, hoping to ease the constant ache of being chained. As he clenched his fist he felt something inside his right hand. Opening his fist slightly, he saw a five yen coin. He quickly closed it again, hoping to keep it safe until Tish arrived and could put it in his pocket. A smile graced his face for the first time in months. He didn't even mind when the Master shot him that morning. All his focus was on keeping his coin, his talisman and proof that Ianto had been in his arms the night before, safe in his fist.

**Translations:**

_* (Run Away!)_

_** (Excuse me. I'm looking for Martha Jones.)_

_** *(One moment please!)_


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

**A/N:** Finished this part early, so part 23b will be on Friday. Only a few more to go.  
Many thanks to the fabulous sparking_off for beta-ing. Any mistakes left are all mine.  
Reviews are always great! Thanks for reading!

**

* * *

Part 23a**

* * *

Ianto and Martha searched through the darkness of the fog laden cove, following the light of the lone lantern guiding them to shore. Glancing to his side, Ianto saw the haunted look on his companion's face. It had only been a few months on the run for him, but it had been a long, hard year for Martha. As they finally reached the shore, she whispered 'I'm home' to herself. Ianto reached for her hand, squeezing it in reassurance, before letting go and making his way up the beach.

"Only a few days left," he said quietly, as they reached the top of the dune. Martha only nodded in response. Seeing their contact up ahead, she quickly forced her melancholy down. She had job to do, they were too close now to let the Doctor down.

"'Bout time you two showed up," grumbled a voice through the fog. "Typical. Trust tea-boy to show up in the middle of the night when we should all be getting our beauty sleep."

Ianto and Martha exchanged a smile and quickened their pace. If there was one thing Owen Harper was, it was impatient. He was also the first contact they'd had from Sanctuary in over a month. They emerged from the fog to see Owen, arms crossed in impatience, standing next to a tall dark-haired man, who in another life Martha would have chatted up and asked for his phone number. Right now though, she was more focused on Owen, and the angry, barely healed scars decorating the left side of his face.

"What?" Owen asked, daring them to comment on his changed appearance. "Chicks dig scars, and pirates are cool. Combine the two and I'm irresistible," he said with a smirk. Martha didn't comment, but merely pulled him into a fierce hug. Once she stepped back, Owen and Ianto clasped hands.

"How?" Ianto asked. Owen stared at him a moment before answering.

"Two weeks ago. Rhiannon and I went on a raid near Edinburgh," responded Owen, trying to keep his tone even as he relayed the news. "We made it out of the city proper, but once we got to the surrounding countryside, they caught up to us. I got this," he gestured to the eye-patch covering his left eye, "keeping the Toclafane off some kids that tried to follow us." He stopped, staring into the darkness behind them, lost in the memories of that day.

"And Rhia?" Ianto asked, fear growing in his gut.

Owen turned his gaze back to him. "They took her to the Master," he responded sadly. "They were starving, and he made them an offer they couldn't refuse. As soon as he had her in custody, he sent the Toclafane down to kill the entire village. Only a handful of us got out alive."

Martha shuddered. Ianto didn't say a word as his mind reeled. If the Master had Rhia, he was the only free affinity holder left. Now more than ever, he was determined to stop the Master and make him pay. But right now, he needed to give his companions the strength to carry on.

"Thank you, Owen," he said clasping his friend's shoulder. "I am sure you did your best. Please don't blame yourself. I know you would have helped her if you could." Owen nodded. Seeing an opening, his companion decided to speak.

"I take it you are the famous Martha Jones," said the man extending his hand, and introducing himself. "And I assume you are the elusive Victory. Doctor Tom Milligan, at your service."

Martha smiled in spite of herself. "A doctor?" she asked. Tom nodded.

"Seems that our Lord and Master has decided that healthy slaves are worth investing in if you want to take over the world," commented Owen. "Medical staff can travel to labor camps." Tom guided them over to a nearby truck as they talked. "Tom here used to be in pediatrics. It's because of him that I even have one good eye left."

Tom hopped into the driver's seat, with Owen beside him. Martha and Ianto got in the backseat, hidden amongst the medical cargo stacked against the windows. "Where to, then?" Tom asked.

"Central London," replied Martha. "It's vitally important that we get to labor camp 26 as soon as possible."

Tom started the engine. "Keep your head down if we get stopped," said Owen. "I know that Jones independent streak." He looked pointedly at both of them. "Just let us doctors do the talking, alright?"

Martha snorted. "I've had plenty of practice listening to doctors talk. I don't think I've ever had to endure two at once though," she said, giving Owen a small grin.

"Could be worse," replied Owen. "We could be stuck with a car full of Joneses. Imagine all that unchecked nobility at once." He shuddered. "It's enough to drive a man to drink."

"If you don't shut it, Harper, the only thing you'll drink when this is all over is decaf," said Ianto with disdain. The three of them stared at each other a moment before bursting into laughter.

"You lot are loony," muttered Tom, putting the car into gear and driving off into the night.

* * *

_The Valiant – The Following Evening_

"Good evening, freaky. How are the eyes doing?" asked the Master, pulling off the bandage that covered the pulpy mess that filled the space where Jack's eyes had been that morning. "You should thank me, you know. All that telepathic glowy business, is so overrated. At least now you won't keep the rats up being their own personal night-light."

Jack didn't respond. Tish had told him this morning that the countdown was tomorrow. Hart had got word from the Aderyn that Ianto and Martha were on their way to London even now. Everything was moving into place. As long as he kept the Master distracted, they had a chance. Putting on his best mega-watt smile, he grinned at his tormentor.

"What's the matter, Time Lord? Is the Doctor too small for you to play with now?" he asked, only to receive a blow to the head in response.

"Size isn't the problem. He won't talk. He's so boring," the Master complained. Jack heard his shoes clank on the metal floor as he paced. "The thing is, now that the wife has been taken care of, I'm rather lonely." Jack twitched. Oh Gods no. Please let it be anything but that.

The Master snorted. "Like I would touch something as disgusting as you. How does your little winged boy-toy stand it?" Jack heard the pacing stop. "I guess I'll just have to seek out dear Miss Cooper. Maybe she'll want to play," he sneered. Jack bristled.

"Leave her alone," Jack growled. The Master just laughed and clapped his hands.

"Oh, isn't this precious. She destroys half the Earth under my influence, and still you forgive her." He leaned in closer until Jack felt the Master's breath on his cheek. "She seems to delight in torturing Captain Hart. I wonder what she would be like in more experienced hands."

Jack struggled against his chains, trying to lunge at him, but the Master simply stood up and straightened his jacket.

"Only one way to find out. I'll give her your regard, shall I?" he suggested, making his way to the door of Jack's cell. He stopped at the threshold, and turned back to his captive. "Oh, and Captain, I know all about your little plan and the gun." The Master smiled in satisfaction as the other man's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Miss Cooper can be very persuasive. Turns out that with enough pressure, even the bones of a scoundrel like Hart can break." He stepped to the side, as John Hart was thrown into the cell at Jack's feet.

"Too bad that healing ability of yours isn't standard issue for Time Agents," sniffed the Master, kicking Hart in the side and making him groan in pain. "I'm sure Agent Hart would love to know how you got it." He glanced at his watch and gestured to the guards to lock them in. "Well, time as they say is a wastin'! I'm off to meet your little Aderyn friend and Miss Jones. Have fun, boys!" With that he was gone.

Jack felt his eyes regenerate enough to make out a blurred shape at his feet. "John?" he asked. "Can you move at all?"

"Course I can move, I just can't move my bloody legs," Hart groaned. Jack closed his eyes and willed them to heal faster. Nothing happened, but at least seeing a blur meant that the healing process was starting.

"Did she get what she needed?" Jack asked, wondering if John had played his part.

"Yeah, bloody bitch fell for it hook, line, and sinker," chortled Hart, before coughing up blood on the floor. Wiping his mouth, he looked up into the dirty and battered face of his former partner. "This better work. If they fail..." He trailed off.

"They won't," responded Jack, hoping that he was right.

* * *

_Labor Camp Barracks - Central London later that night _

As Ianto, Tom, and Owen kept watch, Martha told the story of the Doctor to the people around her. She spun her tale, speaking of all the good he had done, and how he had never asked for thanks. Ianto had heard it all before, but even now, he remembered how the Doctor had left Jack behind, and a kernel of doubt crept into his mind. He looked at the faces of the people huddled around Martha, hanging on her every word, and chastised himself. This wasn't about him, or Jack, or even the Doctor. This was about saving the universe from the Master's madness. His own feelings didn't matter.

The rumble of trucks came from the street outside, and Ianto instantly went into defense mode. Tom and the others looked momentarily startled to see a winged man crouched at the door, but Owen just rolled his eye at him and reached for his gun. The others tried to hide Martha in a blanket, but she shook her head and went to crouch alongside Ianto and Owen.

"Who is it, then?" she asked, voice hushed.

"I'll give you three guesses, and the first two don't count," said Owen.

"Martha Jo-ones," called a voice from outside. "Come on now, Martha. I know you're in there. Come on out. Your Lord and Master is calling you."

"It's him," said Tom, eyes narrowed. "He never comes down here. Why now?"

"Oh, come on then," yelled the Master again, sounding agitated. "I hate waiting. Come on out, and bring your little friend with you. I know wing-boy is in there too. No sense hiding."

Owen looked at Ianto. "How did he know you were-" He stopped mid-sentence and cursed. "It was Hart. Had to have been. He's the only one who knew our plan." Ianto stood up and pulled his message stone from his pocket.

"Contact Sparky," Ianto said, placing it in Owen's hand. "Tell him what happened. He'll know what to do." He looked at Martha, and she added her stone to Ianto's before pulling the TARDIS key from her neck and placing it around Owen's. He looked down at it, and looked back up at her in confusion.

"Stay safe. You have to get back to Sanctuary and protect the others, Owen," she said. When he started to protest, she closed his hand over the stones and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Tosh is waiting back at Sanctuary, and she'll need your help. We can stop him. You have to let us try." He looked at both of his friends and, seeing the twin looks of determination, let out a heavy sigh.

"Damn Jones nobility," he grumbled. "I'll do it. Just make sure you stop him, alright?" he asked. Martha nodded, fastening Jack's wrist strap to Owen's arm and setting the coordinates for the secure jump spot below Carreg Cennen.

"I don't have all day, Miss Jones. Come out now, or I will send Miss Cooper and her friends in to drag you out," shouted the Master. He was closer now. They could see him across the street, flanked by soldiers and floating Toclafane.

"Um, Tea-boy? Shouldn't you hide the wings if you're going out there?" asked Owen.

Ianto smiled. "I have nothing to hide. I refuse to play the Master's games any longer. I'll be fine Owen. I've seen it," he said. His golden eyes clouded as he stared into the distance at something only he could see. Shaking the vision from his head, he turned to Martha. "Ready?" he asked.

"Let's get this over with," she responded, tugging on her backpack. As they rose to leave, Tom grabbed her arm. Her brows crinkled in confusion, and before she knew what was happening, he took her face in his hands and kissed her.

"For luck," he said, smiling down at her. Ianto smiled. It would seem that Martha had found a fellow fan.

"I'll be seeing you, Doctor Milligan," Martha smiled at him. Tom blushed and nodded his head. Stepping towards Ianto, she straightened her shoulders.

Cracking the door open, they eased their way through.

The Master was growing impatient. Just as he was about to give the signal for the soldiers to invade, he saw his prey leave the door of a nearby barracks and walk into the street.

"Oh, very good, he's trained you well. The bag, if you please." Martha took her backpack from her shoulders and threw it in front of her. As the Master fired his laser screwdriver at it to destroy the potential threat, one of the Toclafane flew forward to attack them.

"Time to die little companion," it giggled. Ianto quickly fired an energy blast at it, knocking it from the air, before surrounding Martha and himself with an energy shield in case any of the others decided attacking was a good idea. When two more floated towards them, the Master decided to put an end to the pointless interruption.

"Everyone stop!" he shouted, frustrated. Glancing down the street, he smiled to himself, watching as Martha took a step forward to examine the now open sphere on the ground in front of her. She crouched down and pulled the crushed metal of the sphere aside, only to reveal a disembodied head inside of it.

"It's human," said Martha in disbelief. Keeping the shield in place, Ianto crouched beside her.

"So that's the paradox, then," he said, and stood to face the Master, fury on his face. "You turned the future of mankind into your own personal army, sending them to kill their ancestors without a second thought." He glanced to where the face inside the sphere looked around in pain. "They are little better then Daleks," he spat. "Do you hate the human race so much that you would turn them into the very thing that killed your race and mine?"

The Master laughed. "Oh, you have it so wrong," he said with a grin. "They did this to themselves. The end of the universe, and humankind cannibalized themselves to escape the oncoming dark."

"We made ourselves so pretty," said the sphere open at Martha's feet. She took an involuntary step back in disgust.

"They regressed into children. Nixa found them first, and brought me to them," he paused and walked towards them, Toclafane spheres floating at his side. "I brought a few of them back to Messaline, and I refined their technology, giving them the means to help me get back at the Time Agency for all they had done to me." He paused and ran his hand over the sphere nearest to him. "And when she came back, it only took a moment to overpower her and bring my plan to fruition. Afterward, I stole the TARDIS and with the paradox machine, my masterpiece, in place, brought them through to complete my plan."

"But why would they do that?" Martha asked. "How could they destroy their ancestors?"

The sphere at her feet giggled again. "Because it's so much fun." The sphere tried to move, and Ianto blasted it to ash.

"Don't you see?" said the Master, pleading with Ianto. "The human race, they're all monsters. Every one of them. Why should you or I bother with such trifles. I know that you are much more then you seem, Mr. Jones." Ianto's eyes went wide. How did he know his real name?

"Oh, that's easy, she told me," said the Master pointing behind Ianto. Ianto whipped around to see Gwen, no Miss Cooper, standing on the other end of the street, with her death squad behind her. "She's quite something isn't she? Made Captain Hart sing like a canary too."

Ianto turned back to the Master, carefully schooling his face to show no emotion. He still had a part to play. "What of it? As if we would tell Hart our real plan," he said.

The Master looked thoughtful. "You're clever, I'll give you that. But I don't think that you are clever enough to stop me," he said, glancing to Miss Cooper behind Ianto. "Take them alive," he ordered. The Toclafane and soldiers began to advance.

"Stay behind me," Ianto told Martha, lowering his shield slightly and firing at the Toclafane. Martha raised her gun and followed suit, aiming for the legs of the soldiers approaching them. They seemed to be holding their own when suddenly Ianto stopped. The Master raised his hand, calling for a cease fire, and as Martha watched, Ianto reached for his neck, his eyes open in surprise and his mouth hanging open. He pulled a dart from his neck and stared at it in disbelief before crumpling to the ground. Martha dropped her gun to pull his head into her lap, checking his vitals and finding that he was unconscious.

Pointed boots stopped alongside her and Miss Cooper crouched in front of her, dart gun in one hand, and beretta in the other. "Temporal dart," she stated as she picked up the dart from the ground. "Cuts through temporal shielding like butter." Martha just glared at her, seeing nothing of her former friend in the fiend before her.

"Is he alright, Miss Jones?" asked the Master, who stepped into view beside Miss Cooper.

Martha looked up, swallowing back tears, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. "He's unconscious," she stated, glaring at the Time Lord. Miss Cooper stood up and tapped the limp body with her foot.

"Probably won't last long," she said with thinly veiled contempt. "His sister was up again in half an hour when we shot her with one."

"Take him to the _Valiant_," replied the Master. "Shoot him every twenty minutes if you have to until I arrive."

"And the girl?" Miss Cooper asked, already smiling in anticipation of torturing another victim.

The Master looked down at Martha, a smile twitching at the corner of his lips. "Bring her along. The Doctor should witness her demise," he said as a sinister smile bloomed on his face. "She'll be the sacrifice that christens our launch." He glanced to the sky above him. "Almost dawn. Best get a move on. Tomorrow morning Earth marches to war." With that he made his way over to the chopper waiting for him at the end of the street, leaving Miss Cooper to escort his latest trophies to the _Valiant._

Inside the window across the street, Owen Harper clasped Tom Milligan's hand and wished him well. Taking one last glance through the blinds to where his friends were being sent to the eye of the storm, he said a silent prayer for their plan to work, and blinked out of sight.

* * *

_The Following Morning – The Valiant – Launch Day for Earth_

"Citizens of Earth, rejoice and observe," boomed the Master's voice over what was once London.

High above the city, Jack and the Jones family stood by as Martha was marched onto the command deck by Miss Cooper, and forced to kneel at the Master's feet. He looked over to where the Doctor watched the proceedings, his now saucer-like eyes following her every move. The countdown clock ticked behind the Master; only two minutes to go.

"At zero, our foray into universal domination and the birth of the new Time Lord Empire will be marked by the sacrifice of Martha Jones," said the Master, gesturing to the cameraman to follow him. "She'll be my first blood, Doctor. Anything to say? Any last words or platitudes of wisdom from the wizened old elf?" he mocked. "No? Well then." He turned to Martha. "Bow your head. And so it falls to me, Master of all, to establish from this day a new order of Time Lords!"

Despite the fear coursing through her veins, Martha started to laugh. She thought of all her friends had done for them to reach this point. Of all the people who had sacrificed themselves in order to get her here. Of how the Master was so busy making his grand speech that he didn't even realize that he was about to fail. She laughed harder, and Miss Cooper smacked her across the face, trying to make her stop.

"What's so funny?" demanded the Master.

Martha just smiled at him through her now bloody lip. "A gun in four parts scattered across the world? Come on. Did you really believe that was our plan?"

The Master scowled at her. "We had to beat it out of Hart. People died to protect you, gave up their lives, how could it not be?" he asked, curious.

"I'd never ask her to kill, you should have known," said the Doctor quietly.

"I have her now though, and the launch is about to start, so your little plan, whatever it is, doesn't matter now anyway," retorted the Master.

"But it does," replied Martha. "Don't you want to know what I was doing? Traveling the world? If it wasn't for the gun, aren't you curious?"

Miss Cooper stepped forward and placed a gun to Martha's head. "Start talking," she growled.

Martha just looked up at her, pity for the other woman evident on her face. "And you were the pawn. The Master had you right where he wanted you, but he didn't count on Gwen Cooper making sure that we knew that he was coming." Miss Cooper smacked her again.

"You lie. I would never betray my Master," she hissed at her.

Martha spit out the blood in her mouth and smiled back at her. "But you did." Miss Cooper's face contorted in pain and she let out a cry, falling to the ground, rocking back and forth, her body convulsing as she battled Gwen for control over the body they both inhabited.

Martha turned her attention back to the Master. "Everywhere I went I told people a story, that's all. No weapons, just words. I did just what the Doctor asked. I travelled the world, and told people the story of the Doctor, asked them to spread it around, make sure that everyone knew that there was still hope."

The Master snorted. "Faith and hope? Do you really think that it will do any good? That's only in stories, Martha Jones. And this is no fairy tale."

"But I haven't gotten to the good part yet," she replied. "If everyone who heard the story thought of one word, just one, at a specific time, all at the same moment, with fifteen satellites to broadcast it…, well, that one word would have a lot of power, don't you think?"

"The Archangel Network would bind them together," rasped the Doctor.

The Master stepped back from her in horror as the implication of what she had done dawned on him. "What word did you give them? Tell me!" he shouted, shaking her.

"The only word that could truly stop you," she smiled. "The one word that scares you more then any other, and that word is…Doctor." As Martha uttered his name, the Doctor looked to the countdown clock and saw it hit zero.

The Master screamed. "NO! Stop it! No, no, no, you don't!" He ran frantically up the stairs to the bridge, looking at the monitors and seeing people all over the world chanting the Doctor's name. Fearing the worst, he finally hazarded a glance at the man himself, and saw the Doctor surrounded in blue light as he soaked up the telepathic field and rejuvenated into his normal self.

"How? What?" The Master asked, laser screwdriver raised in front of him, descending the steps to confront him.

"I spent the last year tuning myself into the psychic network, integrating myself into the matrices," said the Doctor as he levitated off the ground. "You may see them as monsters, but what monster could have enough hope to do this?"

The Master fired his screwdriver at him, attempting to stop him, only to have the Doctor deflect it, and telekinetically throw it across the room. "But all my plans, you can't do this!" complained the Master.

"You left me no choice," said the Doctor, floating towards him, sadness in his eyes. "You know what I am going to say now, don't you?" he asked. The Master backed away from him, trying desperately to get away, but it was no use, the Doctor caught up to him. "I forgive you," he whispered in his old friend's ear, as he held him tight.

The Master rocked back and forth, muttering under his breath and pleading for the Toclafane to save him. Realizing that the threat of the Toclafane was still very real, the Doctor called out to Jack. "Captain! The paradox machine. You have to stop them!"

Jack nodded and, hands still bound, ran from the command deck. No one stopped him.

Jack made his way through the corridors, only to run smack into two UNIT soldiers escorting Captain Hart. As Jack scrambled to his feet, he was surprised to see one of them offering him a hand. Confused, he looked up into the face of Andy's cousin, Sparky.

"Up you go then, Captain," said Sparky as he helped the man to his feet. Jack took in Hart's newly healed legs and gave him a questioning look. Seeing his expression, the other soldier reached forward and placed her hands on the chain connecting his shackles and froze it until it shattered with a tap of her hand.

"I take it you healed Hart, then?" Jack asked with a grin. The girl nodded and handed him a gun.

"Right. Flirting time is later," said Hart. "Come along then children, we've a TARDIS to save."


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

**A/N:** When I started writing this, I really wondered if people would be interested in a Winged Ianto fic. I am really flattered to see that those of you reading have liked it, and embraced a whole new universe involving the Torchwood/Doctor Who characters. Aderyn by the way is Welsh for bird. Hence the name for Ianto's people.  
There is only the last chapter and the epilogue to go. This one is a little bit cliffhanger-ish, but you'll see why in the final chapter.

Many thanks to the fabulous sparking_off for beta-ing. Any mistakes left are all mine.  
Next part and epilogue should be by next Friday, once the dust clears from my office move.  
Reviews are always great! Thanks for reading!

* * *

Part 23b

* * *

Toclafane swarmed the hallways of the _Valiant_. After the Master had been overpowered, they had one goal, one mission: protect the paradox. As Jack and the others made their way into the corridor housing the TARDIS, a swarm of Toclafane opened fire, sending volley after volley of laser blasts their way.

"Take cover at the entrance!" Jack yelled, returning fire. Running to the beginning of the corridor, Pia threw an ice shield behind them to seal the corridor and cover their retreat. They barely had enough time to take up defensive positions before the Toclafane blasted through it. The four of them opened fire, but soon realized that even though the ice bolts and electrical blasts the Aderyn were firing had some effect, the bullets merely bounced off, and they were sorely outnumbered. Weighing his options, Jack decided to make a run for it, hoping to get through to the TARDIS with minimal deaths in the process. Before he could make his suicide run, Sparky held out a hand to stop him.

"I promised Victory not use you as cannon fodder, sir," said the youth. He handed a startled Jack his gun, and brought his wings forward. "Pia, freeze any I miss," he ordered, and his teammate nodded, bringing her own wings out and holding balls of blue ice in her hands. "Captains," he continued, "keep them off me until I'm ready. I am going to send an electric shockwave through the corridor, so unless you can survive 10,000 volts, I suggest you stay back." Jack and John nodded, hoping that the kid knew what he was doing. Sparky raised his arms, clapped his hands together and then pulled them apart, causing an arc of electricity to run between them. His companions fired guns and ice-bolts at the Toclafane, while Sparky increased the voltage and prepared his charge. Just as Jack took a shot in the chest and fell, Sparky stepped into the corridor and threw the shockwave forward, dropping all of the Toclafane to the floor in a smoldering heap.

"Everyone all right?" he panted, leaning against the wall to catch his breath. Jack gasped back to life and smiled.

"I've heard of a defibrillator, but that was ridiculous," he groaned, cracking his neck as he stood up. Hart shook his head and looked out the porthole to see the Toclafane descending on the _Valiant_.

"Come on, no time to lose," he said, gesturing towards the window. The four of them made their way to the TARDIS. She swung her doors open in greeting and stood before them, flickering inside of her cage.

"Don't worry about me," she said in her sing-song voice. "I've had a year to reroute the circuits. Just throw whatever you have at the cage, and once the paradox machine is destroyed, I'll do the rest."

Jack saluted her and she flickered out. All four of them raised whatever weapons they had and opened fire, desperate to set her free.

* * *

_Bridge - The Valiant_

"They're changing course, heading back," shouted Martha, staring at the spheres heading towards the _Valiant._ Just as they were about to hit the windows, the Toclafane disappeared, and the airship began to shake.

"Everybody down!" shouted the Doctor. "Time is reversing!" Deep in the belly of the airship, the TARDIS began to glow, singing a song of triumph and reveling in undoing all that the Master had wrought.

On Earth, time slowed down and rewound itself. The radiation pits and labor camps surrounding rocket shipyards were no more. The statues of the Master that had littered the world vanished, and Tokyo, Buenos Aires and all the other cities devastated by the Master and the Toclafane awoke to a new day, as if nothing had happened.

Back on the Valiant, the passengers onboard marveled that everything had been reset, even if they could still remember it. Meanwhile the Doctor was busy checking to make sure that the residual effects were localized on the airship. Satisfied, he announced his findings to the others.

"The paradox machine is broken," he said. "We've reverted back to 8:02am, just after the President was killed, and before the spheres arrived."

"And the Toclafane?" asked Martha.

"Trapped at the end of the universe," replied the Doctor with a grin. He looked over to where the Master was cowering in the corner, and moved to help him, only to have the Master throw him off and lean forward against the end of the conference table.

"You think you've won, don't you?" he sneered, looking over his shoulder at the Doctor. "So you managed to stop the Toclafane. Big deal. You should know by now that I always have a backup plan." He pushed a button on the intercom in front of him, causing the table to retract into the floor, revealing the massive seal of Rassilon housed beneath it.

"What are you doing?" asked the Doctor, looking around the room. The Master smirked at him and stepped inside the seal, holding his hands out as a control panel rose up to meet him. The Master activated it, causing the metallic covering on the alcoves of the command deck walls to lift, revealing the Aderyn housed within.

"Stop!" shouted the Doctor as he realized what was happening. "You can't do this! If you use them, they'll burn!" Furious, he moved forward, sonic screwdriver aimed at the Master, only to find a force-field surrounding the seal and locking him out.

"How about, no?" replied the Master, entering a sequence of keys and causing the stasis chambers to light up. He turned one of the dials on the console, and the enormous crystal chandelier that was hanging from the ceiling of the room lowered until it hovered over the other swirl of the seal in front of him.

"What is he doing?" asked Martha, watching in morbid fascination as the power housed within the Aderyn shot out to focus on the chandelier, causing it to pulse with energy.

"It's a fuel matrix for an elemental engine," panted the Doctor, frantically searching for a weak point in the design, hoping to somehow stop the Master before it was too late. "He's going to use them to power it, creating an engine capable of using the elements, the very building blocks of creation as a weapon," he explained as he scanned the keypads near the stasis chambers, desperately trying to disable them.

"But you can't," he said, turning to the Master. "The power inside them is woven into the very essence of their souls. If you do this, merge them with the stones, you'll _kill_ them."

The Master laughed. "Of course I will. Their species is almost extinct anyway. Once the engine is complete, they will become a never-ending fuel source housed inside five tiny little stones," he said, relishing the look of horror on the Doctor's face. As he spoke, a platform rose from the floor directly below the chandelier. On top of it rested a cog wheel attached to a series of gears. The wheel held five vacant spaces, ready to house the stones that would entomb their wearers.

As the wheel began to turn and draw energy from the chandelier, Jack and the others returned from destroying the paradox machine. Jack's saw Ianto, trapped and motionless inside the stasis chamber, and ran to it, pounding on the glass, trying to break him free. When his efforts proved fruitless, he turned in anger to the Master.

"What have you done? Set him free now!" he growled, eyes glowing gold as he glared at the Time Lord.

The Master threw his head back and laughed. "Aw look at you freaky, actually caring about someone besides yourself. "How ironic." Jack glared back at him before turning back to clutch the edges of Ianto's prison. Staring into his lover's vacant eyes, he closed his own, trying desperately to reach him.

'_Ianto'_ he called. _'Ianto, please!' _Tears of frustration ran down Jack's face as he concentrated harder, willing Ianto to respond.

'_Jack?'_ Ianto finally whispered in response. It was so faint. Jack felt like he was pulling Ianto through against his will, and realized that Ianto was trying to shield him from the onslaught of pain the Master was inflicting upon him.

'_Don't shield, dammit!'_ Jack cried. _'I want you to fight this! I don't know how to stop him!'_

'_I-' _Ianto attempted to respond, and suddenly all Jack heard was screaming. What he didn't realize was the voice he was hearing was his own.

* * *

Deep under Carreg Cennen, the TARDIS formerly known as the Engineer sat cross legged, meditating in mid-air and following the events on the _Valiant _from a distance. Seeing what the Master had chosen to do, he reached out to the other TARDIS, and in the breath of a heartbeat, they formed a plan. His eyes snapped open and he regarded his old friend Tharin as he worked on upgrading his long dormant chameleon circuits.

"Tharin," he said, coming to stand next to him. "It's time."

Tharin searched his friend's face, and saw that the vision Gryffud had spoken of so long before had finally come to pass. Nodding his acceptance, he pulled the man into a fierce hug, before letting him go to fulfill his destiny.

"Go on, then," he said with a lopsided grin. "Keep them safe, make Irina proud." The TARDIS smiled at him and clasped his arm once before merging back with the center of his console, morphing the center of the ship into a new shape. As the dematerialization sequence began, the ship that had once housed the TARDIS shimmered and disappeared, leaving only a workbench, and the somber face of an Aderyn elder, to mark where it once stood.

* * *

As Jack screamed, the Master turned the energy drain up higher, causing the Aderyn inside the stasis chambers began to glow brighter and fade from view. As the energy drain churned higher, Jack collapsed; his body slumped against the glass in front of Ianto.

"Stop it! Master, please!" begged the Doctor. "If you stop this, I will take you anywhere, any when, all you have to do is stop!"

The Master only smiled in response, madness filling his eyes.

The Doctor aimed his sonic screwdriver at the entropic crystals of the chandelier, hoping that damaging it might by him some time. The beam he shot immediately bounced back and knocked him unconscious at the foot of the stairs. As he fell, Martha rushed to his side.

"Come on, Doctor, get up," she pleaded. "You have to stop this. Please, we can't have come this far only to fail now." The Doctor didn't move. Martha looked up and saw first Rhys, then Lucy disappear. She tried smacking the Doctor's cheek, but he didn't respond.

Suddenly the sound of the TARDIS materializing filled the room, and as the blue box appeared to Martha's left, a second engine was heard, and a red phone booth appeared to her right. The doors of both flew open and a golden woman emerged from the Doctor's TARDIS, while a golden man emerged from what Martha could only assume was another TARDIS. The woman knelt beside Martha, gently placing her hands on the Doctor's chest. She pulled a ball of energy from him, and held it for a moment before it dissolved in her hand.

"What are you doing?" Martha asked, trying to protect the Doctor.

"He was keeping it for me," she replied, leaning to kiss him on the forehead. The Doctor awoke with a jolt, looking up at her in wonder.

"Oh, hello," he said, grinning from ear to ear. She touched his cheek. "Take Martha and the others to the bridge for safety," she instructed, rising to take the hand of the other TARDIS and face the Master. He watched them come forward, a sneer on his face, which quickly turned to confusion, as he saw who the male TARDIS was.

"Just what do you think you are doing, Koschei?" asked the male TARDIS, arms crossed and disappointment on his face.

The Master hesitated, his hand hovering in mid-air over the console. "But you can't be here," he said, staring in disbelief. "You're dead!"

The TARDIS snorted. "As you can see little brother, the rumors of my demise weren't exactly true." He smiled, waiting for the tantrum of disbelief that the Master had been famous for even when they were children.

"But that's impossible!" shouted the Master. "You're a TARDIS. That can't happen!"

The TARDIS held out his hands, contemplated them for a moment, and then crossed his arms again. "And yet, here I stand. Doesn't matter how; it just is," he said with a shrug. "Now I know we have had our differences. But the House of Oakdown has one code that even a madman like you must follow; never destroy your own family." The two TARDISes moved forward until they stood directly in front of the seal. "What I want to know little brother, is why you are destroying your niece and nephew, the last of our line, all in the name of creating something that you know should never exist?"

The Master's mouth hung open as he stuttered a response. "Wh-What do you mean?"

The TARDIS shook his head. "Did you even look at him? How did you not notice how soaked in time he is, how similar to a Time Lord, how much he looked like me? Well in my last incarnation, anyway."

The Master stared at the alcove housing Ianto Jones as he began to fade out of existence. His sister flickered a moment longer, before she too disappeared like the others. Only his nephew remained. He turned back to the TARDIS that had once been his brother, trying to discern if he was telling the truth.

"But how can I know you aren't telling lies?" asked the Master, voice small and uncertain. He drummed his hands against his legs, the march to war pounding over and over in his brain, telling him to carry on, and that even this man, his brother, impossibly returned to him, was out to get him.

"You have a choice here Koschei," said the TARDIS. "Stop this now, and we may have a chance to save them. They are the true key to the future of the Time Lord Empire. The Time Lord genes in them are strong. The next generation will win out over the Aderyn, merging the two great societies together into a new and improved race, one able to live and survive for millennia to come."

"You want me to create something, preserve it instead of destroying it," the Master stated.

The TARDIS nodded, "I can't destroy the drums in your head, but I promise you, if you do this, it will be one of their children that will one day save you from them."

The Master stared at his nephew one last time, before closing his eyes and bowing his head. Reaching forward, he hit the off switch, powering down the elemental engine.

* * *

Jack awoke to find the TARDIS sitting beside him, with Ianto's head nestled in her lap. The air of the command deck was still, and time had stopped. He looked to the bridge and saw the Doctor, mouth open as if yelling at something, Martha grasping his arm. The Master was being cuffed and being led up the stairs by Pia and Sparky. Martha's family stood to the left with John holding onto an unconscious Gwen Cooper on the right. None of them moved. The TARDIS sang a lullaby, rocking Ianto back and forth, cradling him as he flickered, struggling to remain corporeal. Jack took his lover's hand in his own. "Is there anything you can do?" he asked, hoping that she could save Ianto.

The TARDIS smiled. "That which lies within you both must be returned," she said. "Only at my true strength can I undo what has been wrought."

Jack nodded, and sat silently as the TARDIS placed her hand on him, and pulled out the energy she had hidden inside. He sagged for a moment in response, but felt no pain. Glancing to Ianto, he suddenly realized that she was still missing one piece: his.

"What happens if you take it from him?" Jack asked. The TARDIS scrutinized the man before her. When she had first met him, oh so long ago, he would never have worried about another being before himself. Now his own safety was the last thought in his mind. She marveled at the change and placed her hand on his cheek in comfort.

"That is up to you, Captain," she said. "Right now, the piece of me inside him is all that is keeping him tied to this plane of existence. If I remove it, he will be gone forever." She held his gaze and asked him the question he seemed to know was coming. "Are you willing to give him your life force in order to save him?"

Jack only hesitated a moment before answering. "Whatever it takes, Blue. Just tell me what to do," he said, eyes never leaving Ianto's face.

The other TARDIS came into view as he crouched down beside them. Placing his hand on Jack's shoulder, he looked at the man he knew his son loved above all others. He only hoped that what the timelines had shown him would hold true. Trusting in time, he gave Jack his instruction. "Kiss him Captain. Bring him back. Make sure he knows all that you feel for him. Tell him, show him, or all is lost."

Jack pulled Ianto's limp body to him, and kissed him. Only one thought filled his mind as he poured all that he was into the kiss. _'I never told you how much I've come to love you.'

* * *

_

Ianto was floating, lost in a sea of molasses and unable to breathe. He felt himself move, and realized that breathing was no longer necessary. He briefly wondered if he was dead, and if all of the mentions of him being as immortal as Jack had just been speculation. A small speck of light shone through the darkness surrounding him, drawing him in. A song, ancient as the dawn of time called out to him, pulling him towards the light. Then he felt it, that spark that was uniquely Jack. Reaching out he parted the sea before him, and embraced its warmth.

* * *

Jack felt the familiar darkness of death encroaching. Just as he was about to succumb to the black, he felt something spark inside of him. Warmth flooded him as he felt familiar arms pull him back from the brink and into the light. He reached out blindly, touching the feathers of Ianto's wings, and sliding his hands beneath them. Not daring to open his eyes, Jack held Ianto tight, afraid to let go. He felt a soft chuckle in his mind, and smiled as he recognized Ianto's laugh.

'_I knew this would become a habit,'_ Ianto said. Jack smiled back at him.

'_Well as habits go, you're one I don't plan on breaking Mr. Jones,'_ he replied.

'_If you two are about done, we really must get a move on,'_ interrupted Ianto's Tad.

'_You really are a bit late to get overly protective,'_ laughed the TARDIS, only to receive a huff from her male counterpart in response.

Ianto opened his eyes, and stared into Jack's. Jack smiled back at him and helped him to his feet, keeping their hands locked together, afraid to let go. Ianto took in the too-still world around him, and looked to the TARDISes for explanation. "What happened?" he asked.

The Lord and Lady TARDIS smiled at him. "Always with the questions aren't you?" his Tad continued with a chuckle. "Well, son, the thing is…" He scratched the back of his head, much like Ianto himself would when he was nervous. "You sort of died."

"What?" Ianto asked, looking down at himself. "But I'm still here, how can I be dead?"

The TARDIS stepped forward and took his free hand in her own. "I know this is confusing Ianto, but you'll be fine, I promise." she said. "Your father thought that this might happen if you were ever mortally injured and well, he was right." She almost looked giddy as she smiled at him. "You see, when the TARDIS changed your Time Lord DNA, she infused it with that of a baby TARDIS. All that knowledge running through your infant mind almost destroyed you, so she made it dormant, hid it inside, only to emerge when it was most needed."

Ianto stared at them in confusion. "So what happened?" he asked, looking over his shoulder, relieved to see that his wings were still there. At least that hadn't changed. Jack rubbed his thumb over Ianto's hand in reassurance.

The two TARDISes exchanged a look. "The thing is," his Tad began, "we aren't quite sure. The rest of the Aderyn faded out of existence and merged with their affinity stones. You on the other hand, held on, kept on fighting until it stopped. I thought it was because of the piece of TARDIS that the Lady TARDIS placed inside of you, but when Jack tried to give you his life force to save you, you refused it, saving him, and reviving on your own here on the TARDIS plane, where only a true TARDIS can exist."

"And when you did, the piece of me inside you returned home," the Lady TARDIS explained with a smile. "TARDISes aren't able to hold one another's essence. The combined vortex power fights against one another, only a child of time has the ability to hold it."

"But I'm not a true TARDIS, and neither is Ianto," said Jack, still not comprehending. "I don't understand."

The Two TARDISes beamed back at them. "You're both unique," said the Lord TARDIS. "Aderyn and Time Lords can follow time and the elements, harnessing them at will. A TARDIS has the ability to wield the very vortex of the universe. Because of Rose, you have vortex energy entwined within you much like Ianto." The two men glanced at each other. Was that the reason for the instant connection and the golden light that bound them together? Jack shrugged his shoulders as if to tell Ianto that he had no idea.

The Lady TARDIS smiled. "As pleasurable as that must be, it's only part of it." Ianto blushed, and Jack grinned. "Ianto, your mind had to mature enough to unlock your TARDIS abilities. It's merely instinct at present, but in time we can show you how to use it." Ianto felt the truth of his words as he saw the possibilities and threads of reality winding and moving around them. But what if he wasn't ready? What if his reviving was a fluke? What about Jack? What if-

"I don't have all the answers, son," interrupted the TARDIS, resting his hand on Ianto's shoulder. "This has never happened before. The Doctor was right about one thing, you're just as impossible as your Jack." Ianto looked to their clasped hands. "But I'll say this," his Tad continued, with a smile. "Impossible or not, I think it's bloody brilliant!"

Ianto chuckled. Jack felt the tension leave Ianto's mind at his father's praise, and released his hand so that he could embrace him properly. As father and son conversed, Jack glanced around the room, to where the stones now holding Rhiannon and their friends lay, and the smile fell from his face.

"What about them?" he asked the TARDIS beside him, reaching to touch the stone holding Rhiannon; he pulled back his hand, as if it had been burned. The TARDIS took his hand into hers and the two of them waited for Ianto and the Lord TARDIS to join them.

"It would take a lot of power to reverse what the Master has done," answered Ianto's Tad. "I'll never understand him," he sighed. "Your Uncle was always a genius. Certifiably insane, but still a genius." Ianto felt timelines flow around and through him and saw the Master stop the engine from completing its work.

"He stopped it," he said in wonder, watching the scene play in his mind.

The TARDIS smiled. "He did at that. But I wouldn't count on mercy being one of his strong points, son," he said.

Something pulled loose at the back of Ianto's mind, and suddenly he saw all the possibilities of how he could bring his friends back. The sensation of following so many timelines at once was new to him, but when Jack grasped his hand, it seemed to be as if it had always been there. Before he knew it, he had brought the image of the timeline that seemed to resonate most into focus and he held it up to show the TARDISes what he had planned. The Lady TARDIS smiled at him, and his father beamed.

"Brilliant, son! Absolutely brilliant!" he exclaimed, but then his face turned serious once more. "But are you sure? You know what it will cost you," he said looking at Jack.

'_Jack?'_ asked Ianto, knowing that he could only do this if Jack agreed.

Ianto felt sadness wash over him as Jack contemplated his answer. _'But I just got you back,'_ Jack finally replied, reaching to cup his cheek. Ianto leaned into it, relishing having Jack's skin against his own once more.

'_I'm sorry, but I have to do this. I have to try,'_ said Ianto, hoping he would understand. Jack leaned forward and kissed him briefly before standing at attention at his side. He turned to face the TARDISes, resolved to follow Ianto's lead.

"I'll stand by him, no matter what he decides," Jack said aloud, determined to help Ianto however he could.

Ianto watched the scenario play out once more, and made his decision. "My friend Owen Harper once told me that the Jones nobility was going to get me into trouble one day. I guess that day is now." He moved forward to stand on one side of the circular seal housing the stones entombing his friends. Taking a deep breath, he released Jack's hand and held his own out to the two TARDISes.

"Shall we?" he asked. The TARDISes nodded and clasped his hands before joining their own.

Ianto closed his eyes and concentrated, seeking out the unique time signatures of the friends entombed before him. He felt power, ancient and strong bloom inside of him, and all around him the _Valiant_ came back to life. The Doctor blinked back into the timeline first and watched fascinated as the three golden beings focused infinite power, shattering the affinity stones and pulling first Rhys, then Denjiro, Lucy, and lastly Rhiannon, back into existence. The four Aderyn staggered to the sides of the room, looking around and trying to get their bearings. Rhiannon saw Jack, standing sentinel behind Ianto, pride and fear evident on his face. Seeing her Tad and Ianto pulsing with power, she suddenly understood that they were somehow responsible for her return.

'_Please be alright, please don't leave me. Please be alright….'_ Jack repeated the mantra over and over in his mind, focused only on the man in front of him and lending him any power he needed to complete the task at hand.

Rhiannon heard it, and slipped her hand into Jack's, hoping that somehow everything would be fine.

The elemental engine disintegrated into ash, and the golden light surrounding the TARDISes and Ianto dimmed. Seeing that their work was done, the three beings released their hands and the two TARDISes disappeared back into their respective ships. Ianto turned around to smile at Rhiannon, and she nodded at him, a tear of thanks slipping down her cheek. He smiled in return before looking longingly at Jack, and stepping forward to reach for him; Jack did the same, only to grasp empty air as Ianto disappeared in a flash of light.

Jack as stared at the space where he had been, a whisper of time and the soft echo of the words _'I love you too,' _ghosted over his mind.


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

**A/N: **Since there was such a strong reaction to the cliffhanger in the last chapter, I am posting the final chapter early. Thanks again for embracing this, my first Torchwood Fic. Epilogue will be tomorrow.

Many thanks to the fabulous sparking_off for beta-ing. Any mistakes left are all mine. Reviews are always great! Thanks for reading!

* * *

**Part 24**

* * *

"Where is my brother?" Rhiannon asked, tightening her grip on Jack's arm. But Jack didn't respond. He was still staring into the space where Ianto had been. "Jack? Where is Ianto?" she tried again. When Jack remained unresponsive, she huffed in frustration, and slapped him across the face. "Snap out of it Harkness!" she said shaking him. "I want to know where the hell my brother is and I want to know now!" Jack blinked, focusing his vacant gaze on the frustrated woman in front of him.

"He's gone Rhia," he said quietly, rubbing the coin in his left hand between his fingers.

"What do you mean gone?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"He used the vortex to save you. The TARDISes tried to shield him but…" Jack trailed off, not wanting to admit to her that Ianto had not been strong enough to stop the vortex from taking him when he tried to channel its power.

"But Tad is still here isn't he?" she asked, looking toward the red phone box in the corner. "And the other TARDIS is as well. Can't one of them fix it?"

"I-I don't know," Jack stammered, not daring to hope that they somehow could bring Ianto back.

"Well then, only one way to find out," she replied grabbing his hand and leading him to the red phone box in the corner. As they passed Rhys and Denjiro, the Aderyn nodded to the two of them, silently thanking Jack for his part in this, before turning to the Doctor to deal with their own problem: what to do with the Master. Pia and Sparky marched the Time Lord to stand before their newly freed Brennin, and the Master turned an insolent smile to the man he had held in stasis for over a year.

"I suppose you've had enough time sleeping on this decision," the Master mocked. "What's it to be then? Execution? Exile? Death by vortex?"

"No," interjected the Doctor before Rhys could speak. "Killing you is not the solution."

"You expect me to let this madman go free? After all he's done?" demanded Rhys, arms crossed as he stared down the Doctor.

"Hardly," the Doctor replied. "But he's not your responsibility. As the only other Time Lord in existence he's mine to deal with."

Rhys snorted. "Time Lord justice? What are you going to do Doctor? Talk him to death? Look at the faces of those around you. Look at the Jones families, both Martha's and Ianto's. Look at what he did to my Gwen. Look into Jack's eyes and tell me that letting this maniac live is even an option."

The Doctor looked around the room, seeing the malice in the eyes of Francine Jones, the pain on the face of Gwen Cooper as she rested against Captain Hart, and the despair emanating from Jack as he stood in front of the other TARDIS, too distraught to even care what happened to the man who had caused Ianto to be taken from him. All this was because of the Master, all this was laid at his feet as reason enough for his execution. He had seen him punished once for his crimes, but this time, this time was forever, and would mean that he would truly be the last of the Time Lords.

"You're better than him," reasoned the Doctor. "If you do this Rhys, he wins. He finally succeeds in turning you into the weapon that he wanted the Aderyn to be." He turned to face Rhys, pleading with him to understand. "I won't let that happen. Not when I have a chance to stop it."

Rhys held his gaze, scrutinizing the Doctor; looking for any deception in his words. Seeing none, he reluctantly nodded his agreement.

"You aren't going to kill me then? Joy. So what happens now?" asked the Master, squaring his shoulders for the verdict.

"You can't trust him," said Rhys, glaring at the Master.

"No," responded the Doctor. "The only safe place for him is inside the TARDIS."

"What? So you're just going to keep me then?" The Master sneered. "What is this? Some silly, archaic ape mating ritual, where you trap me with you so that we have to go on a date?" He laughed at the Doctor, who only gave him a look of pity in response.

"If that's what I have to do, then yes," the Doctor replied. "There are only two of us now. I can't take the chance of you causing any other mischief. In time, maybe I can even help stop the drums and give you some peace." The Master looked at the barely contained anger emanating from Rhys and decided to push him over the edge.

"The only piece I want is a little more of Miss Cooper," he leered. Rhys was on him in an instant, eyes flashing in anger and rock coated fist raised to strike him.

"Go on. Do it!" the Master encouraged him. Rhys' fist cocked back to strike, but Gwen came forward and held onto it, stopping him. Rhys turned in surprise to see her shaking her head, putting herself between them.

"He's not worth your soul," she said quietly, watching the rock crumble from Rhys' hand as he reached to cup the back of her head, pulling her to him. He sighed and kissed her forehead before turning his gaze back to the Master.

"Get him out of my sight," he growled, gesturing for him to be escorted to the Doctor's custody onboard the TARDIS.

"Can't I please say goodbye?" asked a small child-like voice. Rhys turned to see Lucy standing at the foot of the stairs, twisting her hands in front of her as if afraid he would say no. Knowing how fragile her mind had been even before the Master got to her, Rhys gave consent to her request, hoping it would give her closure enough to move on.

"My faithful companion," said the Master, as he was brought to stand before her. Lucy smiled back at him, putting her arms around his neck.

"I'll always love you Harry," she said sadly, "even if you never really loved me." The Master looked at her fondly as she leaned in to kiss him goodbye. She deepened the kiss until the Master started to squirm in her arms. Lucy held on tight, kissing him harder, as her body burst into flames. Finally she let him go, watching as he stumbled back, coughing up smoke.

"What have you done?" he demanded, trying to catch his breath.

"Just a little goodbye present dearest," she smiled. "I'm taking the burden out of their hands. After all, a good wife knows what's best for her husband." The flames surrounding her grew red hot and blowing the Master one last kiss, she burnt to a pile of ash.

Burning from the inside out, the Master staggered and fell. The Doctor, who had watched in growing horror as Lucy said her goodbyes, ran to his side.

"I've got you," he said, easing him to the floor.

"Always the women," groaned the Master. "Why can't it be a Dalmatian, or an Abraxi, something less ordinary for once."

"Try and lay still," soothed the Doctor. "You're not dying, it's just incendiary combustion poisoning. It's not radiation, you can still regenerate."

"And give you the satisfaction of taking care of me in my dotage?" said the Master as he coughed. "No thank you."

The Doctor felt the heat rising through the Master's body as it burned. "You can still do it, come on please," he begged.

The Master smiled. A real smile this time, not a leer, just a small smile of remembrance from times long past, when they were both still children, running through the red grass of Mount Perdition, before the drums, before the wars, before they were anything other then friends.

"I refuse," he said softly, face covered in sweat as the heat reached his flesh.

"But you can't!" shouted the Doctor. "We're the only two left. Don't be stubborn." He shook the Master, trying to shake some sense into him. "Come on. It can't end like this, there's no one else. Regenerate!"

The Master reached up and caught the tear rolling down the Doctor's cheek, wincing as it turned to steam at his touch. "How about that," he said with a smile. "I finally escape the drums, and the curse of disappointing you." The Doctor shook his head, still disbelieving. "I win. Look after what's left of my family old friend." He smiled up at the Doctor one final time before closing his eyes. The fire inside of him burned on; blackness coated his skin, and his body collapsed in upon itself until only ash remained. The Doctor sat on the floor stunned, as what was left of his one-time friend and lifelong adversary slipped through his fingers. Martha helped the Doctor to his feet, looking towards the TARDIS where the rest of her family was waiting.

"Come on Doctor," she said, coaxing him up. "There are still people that need our help." The Doctor wiped his eyes and stood, facing away from the others as he composed himself. Once he had finished, he turned to Rhys.

"He could have been saved," he said, clenching his jaw in anger. The Brennin of the Aderyn regarded him in pity.

"Perhaps Doctor, but now we will never know," he replied, resting his hand on his shoulder a moment, before turning away from him to gather his people and find a way home. Before the Doctor could respond and make matters worse, Martha stepped in front of him, shaking her head and leading him to the TARDIS.

"Now that that's sorted," said Rhiannon. "I still want to get some answers." Turning on her heel, she started banging on the door of the red phone box that housed her father.

"Open up Tad!" she shouted. "I know you're in there! Jack's a mess and I want some answers." When the doors remained firmly shut, she held out a ball of ice, ready to threaten her father with whatever she could. "You have exactly three seconds to open this door, or I will personally freeze all of your circuits so that you can't dematerialize for a decade. One, two, th-" Her countdown stopped as the door swung open. Rhiannon smiled and the ball of ice dissolved. "Come along then Jack," she said, pulling the catatonic Captain in with her. "Time to make Tad see reason."

* * *

John Hart stood off to the side while the Aderyn made ready to leave the _Valiant_. He tinkered with his wrist strap, hoping that now that the Master was gone, he could actually get it working and get off of this mud ball. Glancing to where Gwen Cooper was firmly ensconced in Rhys' arms, he decided the sooner he left, the better.

'_She remembers all of it you know,'_ said the TARDIS.

"I know Blue," John whispered. "But it's probably best I be going all the same. She needs someone noble and strong, who'll protect her, not a scoundrel like me."

'_I seem to recall you protecting her, and being quite noble yourself John,'_ she sent back. _'You're not quite as heartless as you lead them all to believe.'_ John smiled, still working on the strap.

"Doesn't matter. If I can get this working again, I'll be on my way before things get any more complicated," he said, brow crinkling as he attempted to deactivate the bio-electrical tether blocking the temporal circuits. He was so intent on fixing it that he didn't notice Gwen until she stood in front of him.

"You're leaving then?" she asked, looking up at him with her large green eyes. John stared back at her, contemplating one last kiss, before glancing over her shoulder to see Rhys watching them, with a frown on his face.

"Afraid so," he replied, adapting his scoundrel persona to make their parting easier on her.

Gwen looked down at her feet, trying to find the right words, and John realized that if he didn't leave, she might say something that she would regret later.

'_Help me out here Blue,'_ he pleaded, silently cursing himself for resorting to telepathy. _'If I don't leave now, this will get a lot more complicated, and she's been through enough.'_

The TARDIS laughed. _'Noble to a fault. Take care Captain. I'll see you again,'_ she whispered as the dematerialization sequence started and she disappeared from view. His wrist strap suddenly beeped and showed that all functions were back to normal. Overcome with joy that it was finally working again, he let out a whoop, and spun Gwen around in exaltation. When they stopped, her eyes had lost their dullness, and for the first time since Miss Cooper had been overcome, she smiled.

"I take it you got it working?" she asked. John stepped away from her and looked at his wrist, setting the coordinates for a nice quiet beach in the middle of the Quinton Nebula.

"That I did," he said finally looking back at her. She started to say something in reply, but he held up his hand to stop her. "Time reversed. Everything is back to a year ago, none of it really happened," he said, hoping she would understand that he was giving her an out. Instead she just reached up to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you," she whispered, before stepping back. John swallowed, keeping himself in check, telling himself that it was better this way.

"You're welcome," he said with a small smile. The silence grew thick, until the sound of Rhys clearing his throat made them both jump. "Time to go," said John, raising a hand to his wrist strap, causing a time breach to open behind him. Gwen watched as he stepped back into the light. As the portal started to close, he reached into his pocket and tossed her a small crystal. Gwen caught it and looked at it in confusion.

"In case you get yourself into trouble," John said with a smirk. "Jack said you were too curious for your own good. It's linked to my DNA and will send out a homing beacon if you need me." He winked at her, and Gwen smiled in return, holding back a tear.

"Goodbye," she whispered as he disappeared. Rhys came up beside her, and took her hand.

"We're planning on flying out in a few love," he said, pulling her hand up to his mouth and kissing it. "Do you want to fly with us, or wait for Owen and Tosh to come with the UNIT jet?" Gwen contemplated her answer, and decided that she needed some time to herself to process what had happened.

"If you don't mind Rhys, I could really use some time alone; to sort my head," she said, hoping he would understand.

"Of course," he replied. "I'll have Sparky wait on the tarmac for you. Just find him when you're ready, they should be here within the next twenty minutes." Gwen nodded absently, staring out the glass behind them to the blue and green Earth below.

* * *

_One month later – Torchwood Hub _

Jack stared at the ceiling, counting the cracks over his bed for the thousandth time, wishing that Ianto was here to chase away the ever present ache in his chest. It had been almost a month since Rhiannon had tried to convince her Tad to help them find him, only to be crushed when he told her that there was nothing he could do to help Ianto, as he was lost somewhere inside the vortex. He had held his daughter as she cried. Jack had watched them grieve, his eyes dry. He wouldn't cry, he couldn't cry, until he knew without a doubt that he would not return.

The others had managed to find some semblance of normal in the aftermath of what survivors now called 'the year that never was'. Martha had left the Doctor, choosing to stay behind and help her family recover. She and Jack called each other once a week; checking in and reassuring each other that they were both still functioning. Trying to cope, he had thrown himself into work, taking on as many missions as possible, trying to keep his mind off of the possibility that Ianto might never find his way home.

Rhys and the Aderyn were busy rebuilding Newton House, fixing the damage that was done on that early raid, long before the Master turned it to a pile of rubble that only Rhys and Denjiro remembered. Gwen had asked him for some time to herself, and Rhys had reluctantly agreed. Owen and Tosh, blessedly exempt from remembering that hell of a year, had picked up the slack for their recovering comrade, allowing Gwen a chance to come to terms with what had happened. After staying at her mother's for the last couple of weeks, Gwen was due back on Monday. Hopefully she had put Miss Cooper to rest, and found a way to remain Gwen Cooper once more.

Rhiannon was off seeing the universe with her family. Her Tad had insisted that the little ones needed a 'proper education,' and travelling through the universe provided a much needed distraction from Ianto's disappearance. She had called Jack this morning from Anaxi 9, where they were investigating reports of a winged species that sounded a lot like their own. While a lost clutch of Aderyn on the other side of the universe would be amazing, Rhia had confided in Jack that she secretly hoped to find her brother instead.

"I dreamed about him last night," she had told Jack. "Not words, just feelings, images. It was a jumble. I saw a coin, and a round tent; I think they're called yurts…" Jack had tried to keep himself calm as he prodded her for anything else she remembered from the dream, but she'd been too distracted by Mica. "I saw a flash of the two of you on red sheets Captain," she added with a smile before hanging up. "Not sure he meant for me to see that, but I think he was trying to tell me to give you a message. Hope it means something."

Jack ran his hand over his face in frustration. It might just be a coincidence that it sounded so much like the dream he and Ianto had shared on the _Valiant,_ and yet…He shook his head. Knowing he was not going to sleep anyway, he decided to head up the ladder and see what the rift was up to. When he got to the top, the distinctive smell of Ianto's coffee filled his office. He reached for the mug on his desk, only to find it empty; a single golden feather beside it. Picking it up, he ran downstairs to the kitchen calling Ianto's name. But the Hub was empty.

"Where are you?" he asked the air around him, steeling himself for the lack of reply.

'_Almost home,'_ Ianto whispered his answer. _'Not long now.'_

'_How long? Please tell me you'll be home soon,' _Jack sent back. But there was no answer.

* * *

The next few days seemed to stretch on and on; as the hours ticked by Jack would occasionally send out a mental query, but never received a response. Monday morning rolled around and Gwen returned, thinner and paler then before. Her natural brassiness was still intact, but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes as she greeted the rest of the team. They knew what she had been through, but somehow it didn't seem to register with them as much as it did with Jack, Rhys, and the other survivors. At mid afternoon, she made her way up to Jack's office and shut the door.

"How do you do it?" she asked, falling into the chair opposite his desk in a heap.

"Do what Gwen?" he asked her, wondering what she was driving at.

"Go on when you know all of the things that you have done, even if they weren't your fault, can never be erased," she replied, not meeting his eyes. Jack sighed. How had he managed to leave the person he once was behind? Gods only knew. Ianto's smile danced through his mind. Well, that was one reason. But not one that would help Gwen.

"Only by being who I am now, living each day, trying to be the person I want to be, not the person I once was I guess," he answered, hands folded and thumb unconsciously rubbing the coin that was now attached to a chain on his wrist. Gwen weighed his answer and looked at the man in front of her. Dark circles rested beneath his eyes, and he looked tired. The man who had survived a year of torture intact, looked broken.

"You miss him don't you?" she asked, not expecting an answer. Jack only stared at his wrist, refusing to look up.

"He's coming back Gwen. You'll see," he responded, jaw clenching. Gwen rose and put her hand lightly over his.

"I hope you're right Jack, I really do," she replied. "He means a lot to you doesn't he?"

Jack looked up, and Gwen saw his blue eyes had turned gold. "I love him Gwen. I promise you he is coming back," he said with conviction. Gwen held his gaze a moment longer before patting his hand and walking to the door.

"I know what it's like to have loved and lost Jack. Let me know if you want to talk, okay," she said, giving him a small sad smile before making her way out.

"Please let him come back soon," Jack begged the universe, hoping somehow it would help.

* * *

Far away, and very close, Ianto pulled and stretched timelines and vortex energies, tying and twisting them, hoping to find the right one to bring him back to Jack. The first one he tried led him to a settlement near an ocean, where a small boy stared at him a moment before he disappeared back into the vortex. Undaunted he tried again, only to find himself in the middle of a battlefield on some distant planet, surrounded by blue reptilian creatures with feathers protruding from the top of their heads. A battalion of soldiers ran past him, and he almost gasped when John Hart winked at him as they passed. An aircraft carrier on WWII, a space station on the edge of the Zertarn Asteroid Field, Ellis Island in the 1900's, a pleasure craft coasting through the Xiata Nebula; the list went on. Each time he saw shades of Jack, but never the one he wanted, never the one he left. Frustrated, he focused all the energy inside of him, searching for the energy, the spark, that had called to him back on the _Valiant_, the spark that meant home, the spark that meant _Jack_. He found it for a brief moment, long enough to leave him a small feather and a whisper of hope. Finding himself back in the vortex once more, he smiled. He had found it once, he would find it again. Clearing his mind and refocusing on the timelines, Ianto got back to work.

* * *

"Rift spike near Cathays Park," called out Tosh, a few hours after Gwen had left Jack's office. "The energy signature is massive, but I can't get a reading on what came through." Jack felt the coin on his hand grow warm, and looked over her shoulder at the screen as a second spike, this one near the docks, appeared.

"Looks like our favorite neighborhood beastie has some new friends," Owen quipped, as a fresh batch of weevils came into view on CCTV.

"Owen: you, Tosh, and Gwen, head over to the docks and take care of our new residents," ordered Jack. "I'll head over to the park and see if I can find out what the first spike brought through. Everyone, keep your comms on. Let's not take any chances. If it looks like you need backup, say something before the pretty weevil bites you, okay?" The others nodded as they geared up.

"Be careful," Tosh called as Jack hopped onto the lift. Jack winked at her as he ascended.

Cathays Park was quiet. It had just gone eight in the evening, and the street lamps had come on for the night. Jack used his wrist strap to track the spike, and was only mildly surprised when it brought him to the Welsh National War Memorial. He stared at the man standing in front of it, hoping what he was seeing was real.

"You know, I never understood why Pegram decided that he had to sculpt the bits on that thing so bloody small," Ianto remarked, tilting his head to the side and squinting up at the statue on the top. "I mean seriously, a bloke could get a real complex having his pigyn on display for prosperity at one-third its size."

Jack stepped closer, hands shaking as he reached to touch him. "You're real," he whispered, as they met Ianto's shoulder.

"Of course I am," Ianto replied with a smile. Turning towards Jack, he reached out and cupped his face, pulling him in for a kiss. "Sorry it took so long," he whispered against his lips. Jack crushed Ianto to him, holding him as tight as possible afraid to let go.

"Gods, I missed you," Jack whispered into his hair, and kissed his cheek. He released him slightly, holding Ianto out at arms' length. "Don't ever do that again," he said, choking back the tears that threatened to fall. "I thought I had lost you, I thought-"

"I'm here now," Ianto interrupted him. "And I don't have any plans to leave again anytime soon." He caressed Jack's cheek and kissed away the tears that Jack had been unable to stop. "Not without you, anyway," he promised. Jack kissed him again and leaned into him, pressing their foreheads together with a sigh.

"Not that this isn't touching, tea-boy," came Owen's voice over the comm. in Jack's ear. "But some of us are rounding up weevils and want to keep our lunch down." Ianto chuckled, and Jack smiled.

"Jack, we have it handled on this end," said Tosh. "Why don't you two catch up, we'll see you in a few days." Jack looked at his hand where Ianto was stroking the coin on his wrist.

'_You kept it,'_ Ianto sent in wonder, seeing the worn spot on the coin where Jack had rubbed it like a worry stone.

'_Of course,' _Jack replied. _'Kept me connected to you somehow, it got warm when you came through.' _Ianto looked thoughtfully at the coin. Definitely something he would look into later.

"Jack, we mean it. Don't either one of you even try to come in before Friday," ordered Gwen, in her best PC Cooper voice. "And Ianto, welcome back."

"Alright team, we get the message. Only call us if the world is ending and you can't fix it," said Jack. Ianto added his thanks and they signed off.

"So," smirked Ianto, unfurling his wings and pulling Jack close. "Fancy flying home?" Jack just grinned.

"Fly me wherever you want, I seem to remember a promise of mid-air-sex acrobatics," Jack leered.

"Acrobatics come later," Ianto replied, rolling his eyes. He leaned forward and kissed Jack deeply before whispering against his lips. "I want to see you come undone beneath me, with my wings above us, unfurled and shaking, as we make up for each and every minute we've been apart." Gold met gold, and the two immortal beings smiled at each other.

"Take me home, Ianto," Jack whispered, kissing him again. Unlike the freefall launch of their last outing, this take off was seamless. When they broke apart to catch their breath, they were already in mid-air, soaring over the rooftops of Cardiff towards Llandelio, and Ianto's little cottage near the river Tywi.

By the end of the evening, Ianto's mental list of 'things to do in bed with Jack,' had quite a few items crossed off and a few more added, including notations such as 'best when not near trees,' 'updraft provides more thrust,' and 'definitely requires repeated attempts to make sure all angles work :D'.


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer:** BBC drew them, I just like to color outside their lines.

**A/N:** Wow. It's finished. Thanks to all of you who embraced this fic and this universe. There weren't many winged Ianto fics out there, and since this was my first foray into this fandom, I am humbled that you liked it. Special shout outs to **iantosgal** and **milady_dragon** for cheerleading me on with their posts. The sequel will be later on this Fall after a few other fics in the works are finished.

Many thanks to the fabulous sparking_off for beta-ing. Any mistakes left are all mine.

* * *

**Epilogue - Several Months Later ****

* * *

  
**  
_Guy's hospital, London _

Martha Jones straightened her stethoscope and, after checking her breath, curled her lip and popped a mint into her mouth. Smoothing down her lab coat, she exited the elevator, ready for her first day as a second year resident. After checking the staff directory, she had been thrilled to see Doctor Thomas Milligan listed in pediatrics, and told herself for the thousandth time to calm down. Ianto had reminded her this morning that he had never met her, and that she should breathe and try not to be a crazy person when she met him again, for the first time.

She entered the staff lounge and saw him near the coffee machine, going over a recent case with a pretty nurse. "Keep it together, Jones," Martha muttered to herself, before moving alongside them to get a cup of her own, trying desperately not to glance at Tom out of the corner of her eye.

"You're new," said a familiar voice to her right. Martha smiled.

"First day, transferred from Royal Hope," she replied. The nurse had gone, leaving them to converse alone.

"So, Martha Jones is it?" he asked pointing to her name tag. Martha nodded.

"And you're Tom Milligan," she replied, noticing too late that he didn't have a nametag on his lab coat. Cursing herself for being overeager, she tried to cover her mistake. "I overhead the nurse mention it while you were talking."

"But she didn't call me by name," said Tom, smirking as Martha got flustered. "Seems to me either you found it out on your own, or used some kind of Jedi mind trick to get it from one of the staff." Martha laughed.

"Star Wars fan?" she asked, already knowing the answer. Tom grinned.

"Only the original three; those prequels, absolute rubbish," he crinkled his nose in disgust. Martha nodded her agreement.

"I heard they're showing_ A New Hope_, at Somerset House in a few weeks," mentioned Martha, stirring her coffee and trying to keep the blush in her cheeks down.

"Are they really?" Tom asked in excitement. "I never saw it in the theatre. Outdoors with a picnic would be brilliant. Let's go!" Martha beamed back at him.

* * *

_Torchwood Hub – Cardiff _

Perched on the corner of Jack's desk, Ianto sipped his coffee and went over his notes for the monthly call with the PM, trying to stay on task as Jack's hand moved steadily up his thigh.

"You know I'm not listening, right," Jack purred into his ear as he kissed his neck. Ianto sighed and put his mug and notepad down.

"Do you even want to be ready for this call tomorrow?" he asked, watching as Jack circled the desk until he stood in front of him.

"Right now, Ianto, the only thing I am ready for is you," he said, pushing Ianto's legs apart, coming to rest between them. "I've been staring at you in the 'cute suit' all day. Do you know how hard it is to concentrate when you wear that thing?" Jack asked, leaning in to kiss him. Ianto smiled into the kiss, bringing his arms up to encircle Jack's waist.

"I think _hard_ is the operative word, sir," he replied, flicking his tongue over Jack's bottom lip, making him squirm. "I get the distinct impression that if we are to get any work done tomorrow, it's best that we get a full night's rest first," he added with a twinkle in his eye.

"Are you trying to get me into bed, Mister Jones?" asked Jack, sliding Ianto's jacket off of his shoulders and onto the desk. Ianto raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't aware I had to try all that hard, _Captain_ Harkness," he quipped, reaching to unbuckle Jack's belt. "Tosh and Owen are still downstairs, and Gwen went home hours ago. I think you should do something about that, _sir_." He growled, emphasizing his meaning by grabbing Jack's waistband and pulling him flush against him. Ianto devoured his lover's mouth, sending him images of all he wanted to do to him, until Jack couldn't take it anymore and pushed away from him, stalking to the office door.

"Tosh, Owen, go home!" he shouted. "Ianto and I have it covered until morning. See you tomorrow."

"But I just started the Tujilokan autopsy," complained Owen, walking up to the main hub, wiping the blood off of his gloved hands with a towel. Tosh shook her head, pointing to where Ianto sat waiting on Jack's desk. Oh, OH. "Right. It can wait until tomorrow I suppose," he said, seeing Jack grin at them both before going back into his office and shutting the door.

"They've been at it like rabbits since Ianto came back. I am amazed they get any work done," Owen said, shaking his head.

"I think it's sweet," replied Tosh. "Jack was so broken when he thought Ianto was lost, at least give them this. What we do is pretty dangerous. I am sure things will settle down once they are both secure that the other is not going anywhere." Owen glanced up to the office, where golden light was already starting to seep under the door.

"Not bloody likely," he muttered, going to the med bay to shuck his gloves. "Hey, Tosh, what are you up to tonight?" he asked, sliding his latest victim back into cold storage. Tosh stared at him. Was he asking her out?

"Not much planned," she replied, shutting down the Hub for the night. "I've been run off my feet all week. Just planning on snuggling up with a bowl of popcorn and watching _Pirates of the Caribbean: Dean Man's Chest_ on DVD. I missed it when it came out last year. I want to get caught up before the next one comes out." Oh God, that sounded pathetic. Trying to focus on the screen in front of her, Tosh braced herself for the snarky comment that was sure to follow.

"You like pirates, huh?" Owen asked, taking off his lab coat. Tosh blushed, surprised that Owen was actually interested.

"A little yeah," she said, embarrassed. "I always thought the eye patch thing was kind of sexy, and, well, Johnny Depp isn't bad on the eyes either." Owen smirked.

"I always wanted to be a pirate as a kid. Mother would never let me, told me that they were all scum and villains, and 'no son her hers would ever be one'," he quoted, suddenly melancholy.

Tosh powered down her laptop and went to join him in the med bay. "I won't tell her if you won't," she said with a soft smile. Owen smiled back.

"Sounds like a lovely evening, Tosh, mind if I join you?" he asked, not sure if she would say yes. To his surprise Tosh practically beamed back at him.

"I'd love it if you'd come. I mean yes, thanks," she said, flustered. Owen threw on his coat and held out his arm. "Come on then, Miss Sato, the Black Pearl waits for no man." Tosh giggled and took his arm as they made their way to the car park.

* * *

_Williams/Cooper Residence, Cardiff, Wales – 9:30pm_

"I'll be out in a minute, Rhys," called Gwen. She looked at the clock on the bathroom counter, refusing to look at the objects on it until the full three minutes were up. 9:33pm. Steeling herself, she reached for the test and read the results. Positive. Holding her stomach with her hand, she opened the box on the other side of the counter, exposing the three objects inside: a tracking crystal, an Aderyn arm band, and the Master's ring, she held her hand over them, biting her lip, hoping that the life now growing inside her would cause a reaction with the DNA encoding in one of them to give her some idea of who the father might be.

* * *

Far away on the other side of the galaxy, Rhiannon felt the TARDIS that housed her father shudder. "What is it, Tad?" she asked the golden man that suddenly appeared at her side.

A ping sounded on the universal transmission modulator, signaling an incoming call from another TARDIS. The Doctor and his Blue Lady must have felt it too.

"Trouble," he answered, eyes on the console before him. "We need to go back."

* * *

__**_To be continued next fall with Rise of the Phoenix (tentative title)_**


End file.
